September 17, 2025: Across Maharashtra, 4,200 buildings constructed under the Backward Classes Housing Scheme are now more than four decades old, with many in a severely dilapidated condition. Residents have been demanding urgent redevelopment, but the process has been stalled due to stringent conditions imposed by the Social Justice Department and ongoing legal disputes.
The Bombay High Court recently ruled that redevelopment of such buildings does not require prior permission from the Social Justice Department, in response to a petition concerning a building in Vikhroli. However, the department has challenged this decision in the Supreme Court, sparking anger among residents who have called for immediate government intervention.
“Due to the oppressive conditions, the developers are not coming forward for redevelopment,” alleged Praveen Yadav, Secretary of the Backward Class Housing Society Redevelopment Struggle Committee. He added that mandatory no-objection certificates (NOCs) and other bureaucratic hurdles have made the process unviable.
In Mumbai, several housing units allotted under the scheme in areas such as Vikhroli were initially created to provide free homes to refugees after independence, and later extended to backward classes. Today, many of these structures are unsafe, with residents claiming they are “living with their lives in their hands.”
On August 7, Social Justice Minister Sanjay Shirsat inspected Vikhroli buildings and announced that all projects would receive NOCs within 15 days. However, residents now accuse him of going back on his promise.
Defending the department’s stance, Shirsat said: “Other conditions have been imposed along with the ‘no objection’ permission from the Social Justice Department to ensure that the rights of the residents of the backward class housing scheme remain intact and that they are not cheated by the developers.”
Countering this, Yadav responded: “Our buildings have been transferred, we are the owners of the house and building. In such a situation, there is no question of the developers cheating us if redevelopment takes place.”
Source: Loksatta
