September 12, 2025: In a major relief for lakhs of Mumbai residents, the state government will soon introduce a policy to regularise more than 25,000 buildings that have been denied occupation certificates (OCs) for years. The announcement was made on Thursday by Minister Ashish Shelar following a joint meeting of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Urban Development Department, the Revenue Department and the Cooperation Department.
For many homeowners, the lack of OCs has meant that despite living in their properties for years, they have been legally treated as ‘unauthorised occupants’. Officials admitted that the fault often lay not with the residents but with loopholes in regulations or lapses by developers.
Shelar confirmed that the Urban Development Department will launch the new policy from October 2. “Technical or administrative lapses during construction will be rectified, and OCs will be issued through a simplified process,” he said. Buildings denied certification due to issues such as floor area discrepancies, setback rules or regulatory changes will also be covered.
Cases where developers failed to hand over reserved areas or flats to the authorities will be addressed, allowing such projects to obtain OCs. The system will operate transparently via an online platform. Housing societies are being urged to apply jointly or individually, with the option of securing partial OCs. Applications filed within the first six months will not attract penalties, though premiums will apply if additional FSI has been used.
Shelar thanked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and departmental officials for supporting the move, calling it a “great reassurance for Mumbaikars”.
Former MP Gopal Shetty, local MLA Manisha Chaudhary, BJP functionaries and senior bureaucrats attended the meeting at Mantralaya where the decision was finalised.
Source: The Indian Express
