The Maharashtra government has constituted a 10-member committee to prepare a comprehensive policy for regularising residential encroachments on government-owned land in Mumbai, Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, covering structures established on or before January 1, 2011.
Headed by the Konkan Divisional Commissioner, the committee has been given three months to submit its recommendations to the Revenue Department. The government said the exercise is aimed at developing a clear and long-term framework to address residential encroachments in the three major municipal areas.
The Revenue Department had earlier taken a decision on March 25, 2026, to permit regularisation of residential encroachments on government land across Maharashtra that existed before January 1, 2011. However, properties falling within the jurisdiction of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, Pune Municipal Corporation and Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation were kept outside the scope of that decision.
According to the government, a separate and detailed policy is required for these areas because encroachments exist on land belonging to both the Maharashtra government and the Central government and its agencies.
As part of its mandate, the committee will examine existing frameworks and policies followed by bodies such as the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) and Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA), along with other relevant agencies. Based on its review, it will propose a unified approach for the regularisation of eligible residential encroachments.
The panel will also specifically examine cases involving Central government land and properties controlled by its subordinate departments or agencies, and recommend an appropriate mechanism for dealing with such structures.
The committee includes the district collectors of Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban and Pune, along with representatives from the SRA, BMC, PMC and PCMC. Superintendents of land records from Mumbai City, Mumbai Suburban and Pune have also been appointed as members.
The Joint Commissioner (General Administration) of the Konkan Divisional Commissioner’s Office will serve as the committee’s member secretary.
The government’s three-month deadline is expected to provide a defined timeframe for examining existing rules and framing recommendations for a policy covering the three municipal regions.
Source: Economic Times
