Mumbai is a city where it is difficult to find a house to live in even if one can get a job The desire of millions of people in this metropolis to have their own home is a dream that is not always fulfilled Now, a decision by the state government has revived this wound.
The Uddhav Thackeray government has announced plans to build 300 houses for MLAs from rural areas. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) will build the residential complex to house the High Income Group (HIG) flats.
The state government has said that buying or renting flats in Mumbai is a big challenge for MLAs from outside Mumbai. MLAs cannot pay more rent. Thus, all MLAs except Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai will get flats in the new complex, the state government has announced.
A house for 300 MLAs
At present, the State Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Sabha) has 288 members and the Legislative Assembly (Vidhan Parishad) has 78 members, bringing the total number of MLAs to 366. The number of MLAs from Mumbai and surrounding areas ranges from 54 to 60. Therefore, the government has decided to build HIG flats for 300 MLAs in Goregaon. The land on which these flats will be built is in the possession of MHADA.
State legislators are not happy with the state government’s decision and see the project as a ploy to dissuade them from changing sides. And some are pointing fingers at this decision of the state government. A report prepared by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) after the 2019 elections states that 264 (93%) of the state’s 288 legislators are millionaires.
‘MHADA’ flat is cheap
Compared to private builders, flats built by MHADA are cheaper. In such a situation, the common man aspires to get a flat built by MHADA at auction. But this wish of millions of people is never fulfilled.
– On June 2, 2019, 66,000 people applied for the auction of 217 flats built by MHADA in Mumbai.
– For the auction held on March 1, 2020 for factory workers, 1.74 lakh people applied for flats.
– For 812 Navi Mumbai flats, 2 lakh people sent their application.
– In 2021, 62,000 applications were received for auction of 1200 houses in Mumbai.
– For the auction of about 4000 flats in Pune, 52,000 people applied
– 98,000 people applied for the auction of 5500 flats in Kolapur, Sangli, Nasik.
Now, the question is, when legislators are millionaires and get a salary and other allowances of Rs 2 lakh per month, why is the government building residential complexes?
BJP MLA state president Chandrakant Patil has criticized the government’s decision, saying it was done to appease disgruntled MLAs. He said the decision was made because legislators could leave the party and it could lead to the collapse of the government. He quipped that no one was invited to be a MLA. Then why would they get a flat?
Raju Patil, the only MLA of the state’s Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, opposed the state government’s decision. Ordinary people are blaming the MLAs. He said the government should provide free 200-units of electricity to the people of the state and seek their blessings.
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