by Suman Gupta
• Single Window policy will pole vault real estate development: Save
• The Housing Minister Seeks Recommendations from the Developers for the New Housing Policy
Mumbai, November 24, 2023: The State Housing Minister Shri Atul Save today informed that the State Government has been planning to effect necessary requisites in the State’s new Housing Policy to make ‘Housing For All’ a reality; so that every citizen of the State gets his own house either through MHADA or SRA developments or through other developments. He also stated that in order to boost affordable housing, the Government would also find ways to push new investments in the State’s housing sector.
Shri Save ji was speaking at the inauguration of the second edition of the biggest Housing Expo ‘Homethon 2023’ organized by NAREDCO Maharashtra today at the Jio Convention Centre in Mumbai.
The Minister added that the State Government’s focus under the leadership of Chief Minister Shri Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Ministers Shri Devendra Fadnavis and Shri Ajit Pawar is to ensure a maximum flow of housing in Mumbai and the State and make all the possible support to the State’s real estate sector and bring in new investments. He added, “As the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has envisaged under the PM Awaas Yojana to ensure ‘Housing for All’, the State Government believes that every citizen of Maharashtra should get his own house through the MHADA or SRA schemes or otherwise. The Government is planning to bring the necessary aspects in the forthcoming new Housing Policy of the State; so that more developers come in the sector, more development and investment happens and housing for all becomes a reality. The real estate and construction sector should get a required priority.”
The Minister stated that many issues pending in the State’s housing sector will be resolved in the new housing policy. He informed that 80% draft work of the new policy has been completed and suggestions of the new stakeholders would be considered before finalizing the policy. Other departments like Home, Urban Development, Revenue and SRA have also to be involved in the State policy.
He said, “More than 50% of the population in the city still lives in slums and about 20% to 30% of slums are to be redeveloped. We will try to organize a meeting with the stakeholders in the next few days to find solutions to the pending issues.”
The Minister further stated that the demand for housing in the State needs to be fulfilled with more real estate development taking place. He added, “For MHADA’s 4000 homes, over two lakh applications were received. It shows the demand for housing. In future, we expect maximum investment in the housing sector.”
The Minister requested the developers to come forward for redeveloping SRA & MHADA projects and also support in the second phase of PMAY.
For speedy clearances for the housing sector, the Minister said that the new policy would emphasize on one – window clearance and ease-of-doing-business policy like other industries, which would ensure speedy approvals and completion of projects and also safeguard the developers from financial hardships. Regarding the pending issues in the sector, the Minister assured that the Government would work together with the industry stakeholders.
He stated that with NAREDCO Maharashtra’s initiative, people in Mumbai and other parts of the state would be able to buy homes of their choices from a wide range of options available. The Minister informed that the Government’s initiative of providing ten lakh houses for Low – Income Group (LIG) people in the OBC category was very much on track with full support from the State Government.
The Housing Minister also inaugurated the State Bank of India pavilion and Launched ICICI Bank “Welcome to Neighborhood” concept at the EXPO.
