State govt corporation to build 36,000 low-cost flats small cities and MMR

Mumbai: Under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY) scheme, the Maharashtra Housing Development Corporation (Mahahousing) is constructing 36,000 small houses in tier-2 and 3 cities including Solapur, Nagpur, Satara, and Titwala in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR).

The houses have an area of 300 to 600 sq ft, with prices ranging from ₹9 to ₹17 lakh for the economically weaker sections, low-income groups , and middle-income groups. Under the PMAY scheme, they plan to construct 2,200 flats in Titwala and a tender for it has been floated. The first lot of 500 houses for EWS and LIG in Solapur will be sold through lottery for which the marketing process has begun.

After the state government realised that it was lagging behind its target of constructing houses under the PMAY in June last year, it decided to expedite the speed of the construction of the houses. “The houses that we will distribute in Solapur will cost ₹9 lakh after the financial support of ₹2.5 lakh under PMAY, and if the beneficiary is a construction worker the price is further reduced by ₹2 lakh,” Ajit Kawade, managing director, Mahahousing, said. “We are providing them basic amenities including modular kitchen, wall unit, water purifier, etc.”

When the Shinde government took over in June last year, the compliance rate of the PMAY was below 35%, resulting in the central funding lapsing for its non-utilisation.

Deputy chief minister, Devendra Fadnavis, asked the department to expedite the projects and complete them in time. The housing department has completed 64% of the target of constructing 6.27 lakh houses across the state.

The state has tied up with private builders for the construction of low-cost housing by offering them incentives. “Apart from the subsidy of ₹2.5 lakh under PMAY, the stamp duty for these houses is just ₹1,000, the FSI given to them is 2.5 and the lands allotted to them are green zones for housing purposes. The profit is shared in 85:15 with the private players,” said another official.