About 13,000 properties in Mumbai are scheduled to be redeveloped by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada), primarily in the upscale South Mumbai micromarket. In accordance with the Maharashtra government’s 100-day action plan, Mhada wants to finish structural audits for 1,000 cessed buildings by the end of March.
Cessed buildings, primarily located in South and Central Mumbai, are old rent-controlled structures built before 1969. These properties are subject to a cess or tax collected for maintenance and repairs by Mhada. The housing body’s vice president and chief executive, Sanjeev Jaiswal, has urged officials to expedite the process to ensure timely completion of these audits.
Jaiswal emphasised the need for structural examinations to ascertain the safety and redevelopment needs of ageing structures at a recent review meeting of the Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board. Over the next year, he directed officials to hire structural consultants and start audits for all 13,000 structures that had been ceased.
“A structural audit is a prerequisite for property acquisition. In 1955-56, Mumbai had around 19,500 cessed buildings, of which about 13,000 are yet to be redeveloped. Given the age of these structures, we aim to redevelop as many as possible to prevent any hazards. A time-bound redevelopment program has been set in motion,” Jaiswal told ET.
Based on the year of construction, cessed buildings are divided into three groups: pre-1940, 1940-1950, and 1951-1969. The money raised from the cess is utilised to rebuild and restore these dilapidated structures. Mumbai’s Development Control & Promotion Regulations (DCPR) 2034, which provide incentives for redevelopment projects such as an improved floor space index (FSI), allow for the redevelopment of such structures.
Under the government’s 100-day action plan, structural audits were initially planned for 500 buildings, of which 171 have already been completed, with reports received for 32. Mhada is now aiming to audit twice that number by March’s end.
Following a government directive to survey 2,000 commercial units in transit camps, Jaiswal also instructed Mhada staff to finish a biometric survey of 20,000 unit holders by March. In line with a government resolution announced on September 13, 2019, he also directed officials to assign transit camp residents to A, B, and C categories by March 2025.
Further, executive engineers have been tasked with issuing notices for all 13,000 cessed buildings under the Mumbai board’s jurisdiction. Officials have also been urged to accelerate the redevelopment process for acquired properties.
These programs aim to facilitate the prompt redevelopment of Mumbai’s cessed buildings, improve the administration of those buildings, and improve the quality of life for the people who live there.
Source: The Economic Times
