MahaHousing Should Accelerate the Construction of Affordable Homes – Deputy CM Eknath Shinde

Mumbai : The Maharashtra Housing Development Corporation (MahaHousing) must make special efforts to speed up the construction of houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). Any challenges faced in this process will be addressed on priority by the government, assured Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He was reviewing the progress of the Corporation’s work yesterday at the Sahyadri Guest House. Minister of State for Housing and Co-Chairman of the Corporation, Dr. Pankaj Bhoyar, was also present.

The meeting began with a presentation by Joint Secretary Vivek Dahiphale, who explained that MahaHousing is implementing affordable housing projects for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Low- and Middle-Income Groups (LIG/MIG) on government land or through joint ventures with private landowners under PMAY. The Corporation has been allocated ₹600 crore as equity capital. So far, the Ambedkar Vasahat project in Baramati has been completed, and seven more housing projects are underway in areas like Solapur and Nagpur, which will provide a total of 21,035 housing units. The first installment of ₹108.59 crore has been received as central assistance, along with ₹68.54 crore from the state government. Additional projects are also planned in Titwala and Khandala.

The sale of constructed homes is carried out through the ‘Book My Homes’ portal, with units typically priced around ₹15 lakh. To make housing more accessible to EWS beneficiaries, MoUs have been signed with non-banking financial institutions to offer easy home loans. However, the projects currently face several challenges, such as the construction of Development Plan (DP) roads, drainage for sewage and stormwater, electricity connections, and water supply. MahaHousing is actively pursuing solutions to these issues.

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde stated that he will immediately instruct municipal commissioners, the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company (MSEDCL), and other relevant authorities to resolve these problems. He emphasized that it is essential to make affordable housing more widely available for the poor and common citizens. He called for MahaHousing to enhance its efficiency and expand its housing construction efforts significantly. He also assured that no obstacles would be allowed to hinder the Corporation’s work and that a proper computerized system through MHADA would be provided for smooth property sales.

The meeting was also attended by the Deputy CM’s Principal Secretary Navin Sona, Additional Chief Secretary Valsa Nair Singh, and MHADA CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal.