The Maharashtra government aims to prevent any kind of religious, racial, sexual, marital discrimination while buying flats by making a legal provision. The Centre has recently passed the real estate regulation bill, paving a way to set up housing regulatory authorities in every state. The state, while forming its own regulator, will make the provision against any kind of discrimination.
The move has come after receiving complaints that builders or owners of the flats do not sell flats to certain communities, single men or women, people with particular dietary habits, etc.
“The Constitution of India does not permit any kind of discrimination based on religion, caste, sex, etc. However, there were some complaints of discrimination registered and we have taken note of it. The Centre has recently passed the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, in which the anti-discriminatory provision would be made. We will be soon setting up the housing regulatory authority as per the act which will take care of any such cases,” a senior official from the housing department said.
The anti-discrimination provision will bring some relief for buyers who are denied houses due to particular bias. The state would give an opportunity to the buyers to approach the regulatory authority and lodge a complaint about the discrimination. “The Centre is planning to introduce fine or punishment for such kind of discrimination. We will follow the norms by the Centre to prevent the biases,” the official added.
The state’s minority department had also suggested the government to come up with some guidelines to prevent discrimination. The home department official said that the minority department has not communicated it formally. But the new Act will take care of the biases and will bring justice to the home-buyers, he said.
Last year, a Marathi theatre producer filed a complaint against residents of Dahisar society in the suburbs, saying they had attacked him in his flat and manhandled his family over cooking and eating non-vegetarian food. Another 25- year-old working professional had complained that she was denied a flat in Wadala area for being a Muslim.
