MMRDA tenements to have greater area

In a major modification to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s (MMRDA) rental housing scheme, the state has agreed to increase the size of the tenements to 300sqft from the existing 160sqft.

A senior MMRDA official said that in a meeting with chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and senior officials on Wednesday, it was decided to hike the carpet area of the 52,000 tenements for which clearances have been given, but on which work is yet to be started. However, the size of the 37,000 flats on which work has begun will remain 160sqft.

The allocation procedure too has been changed, and 25 percent of the tenements will be sold to urban local bodies (ULBs), who in turn will give it to the public on rent. 25 percent will be given to the government of Maharashtra for its staff quarters, and the remaining 50 percent will be disposed of through outright sale.
A three-member committee consisting of additional chief secretary (urban development) TC Benjamin, principal secretary (housing) Gautam Chatterjee and MMRDA commissioner Rahul Asthana will be formed within a week to decide on whether housing stock will be created by amalgamating the megacity, special townships and rental housing schemes, he added.