Mumbai edit: Greed is not good

In one of his short stories, Leo Tolstoy asked a simple question: how much land does a man need? The answer, as those who have read the tale would know, was six feet, for one’s grave. But for Maharashtra’s powerful, the answer probably is: as much as one can acquire by means fair or foul.

How else does one explain the latest scandal in which Mhada, a body set up to provide affordable housing in the state, is offering IAS, IPS, and revenue officials high-income group (HIG) flats in Santa Cruz at almost half the rate set for the aam janata for middle-income group (MIG) flats?

Over the years, there have been innumerable cases of politicians, bureaucrats, and even members of the judiciary cornering land in prime locations in the city at throwaway rates while the average Mumbaikar struggles all her life to repay that hefty loan taken to buy a cubbyhole that she can call home, not to mention the large sum she has to pay ‘in black’ because the builder has to, among other things, bribe some of those same bureaucrats and politicians for various clearances.

For sure, no one grudges the officials homes of their own in the city. Anyone who has lived and worked here for a length of time understands the pull of the city. But after the sixth pay commission, surely they can afford Mhada’s concessional rates without twisting its arm to lower it still further for them? If not, how does the government expect the ordinary citizen to ever find affordable housing within the city limits?