Mumbai: SRA beneficiaries can sell house after 3 years of demolition

With BMC elections around the corner, MVA Housing Minister Jitendra Awhad has offered a major concession to Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) beneficiaries.

The Maharashtra Cabinet sub-committee, it is understood, has approved a proposal to reduce the timeline for selling SRA houses from 10 years to 3 years. In fact, the SRA houses will be eligible for sale after three years of demolition of the hutment.

"This new scheme will be tabled in the cabinet meeting for final approval and a notification will be issued," said Satish Lokhande, CEO of SRA.

Besides this, slum dwellers, who are occupants since 2000 (till 2011), have been offered houses in lieu of acceptance of minimum construction cost.

The said construction cost is nearly Rs 12 to Rs 14 lakhs. Now, all these eligible slum dwellers will pay only Rs 2.5 lakh. The construction cost has been capped, providing a major relief to these beneficiaries.

According to an official, who did not wish to be named, due to the 10-year waiting period, several beneficiaries were resorting to illegal sale transactions. This meant the loss of revenue for the SRA which it earns in form of charges levied on change in ownership title of the said property. Now, with a reduction in the lock-in period, it is expected that the sale will be above board.

The Free Press Journal had reported how the fate of nearly 13,000 such homebuyers hangs in balance, as they had negotiated the sale before the 10 year lock-in period. The Bombay High Court had asked SRA to issue them eviction notices in May 2020. However, the SRA, so far, has not acted on it. Now, with this new relaxation in place, these occupants can regularise their ownership rights, said the official.

Former Shiv Sena MLA Vinod Ghosalkar had demanded further reduction in the cost of change of property ownership, which is also at the consideration stage. He is of the opinion that since the lower and economically weaker strata buys these SRA houses the authority should make the cost nominal.