October 16, 2023: Maharashtra state government has plans to introduce a new policy under which all buildings going for redevelopment will get a minimum area of 300 sqft even if the existing flats area is less than 300 sqft.

This benefit is already available for homeowners in Mhada buildings that are in a dilapidated condition and have to be redeveloped. There are a total of 388 of them in Mumbai. The new policy is a step to bring equal benefits to all citizens of Mumbai.

In the monsoon session this year Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde had ordered the state government to provide the 388 Mhada property owners redevelopment benefits under Development Control Rule 33 (7).  These 388 Mumbai buildings were redeveloped by Mhada three to four decades after demolishing close to 900 dilapidated that had around 27, 373 flats.

Now the Maharashtra state government’s urban development department (UDD) is looking at adopting the same policy for all buildings instead of taking new decisions for the buildings in Mumbai that are outside of the Mhada purview but still have to be redeveloped. With this decision, people in the island city who are living in apartments of 100 or 200 sqft in cess buildings will minimum get a 300 sqft house.