Will the much-awaited Housing Regulatory Authority (HRA) see the light of the day before the assembly election scheduled for October? Sources in the state housing ministry said given the current pace at which the file is moving in Mantralaya, it seems unlikely that it will happen before the polls.
The housing regulatory bill was passed by the legislator almost a year ago and it received presidential assent four months back.
According to senior government officials, they had prepared the rules and regulations for the implementation of the law and submitted it to chief minister Prithviraj Chavan's office two months ago, but they are still to be approved. "We were hoping the rules would be approved by June-end. But that did not happen. Now, there is no saying when exactly they will receive the final nod from the CMO," a senior official told dna on Tuesday.
Opposition leader and BJP MLA Eknath Khadse said, "The CM should not delay the decision on this important issue. We had supported the bill because it can give huge relief to home buyers and protect their rights." Chavan was unavailable for comment.
Officials said even if the CM grants the approval immediately, it will take at least a month to implement the rules as objections and suggestions from the public will have to be invited. And with the polls likely to be held in October, the election code of conduct will come into force 45 days before the voting day. "There is hardly any time. I wish there was a sense of urgency to these things," an official said. He wondered if vested interests are trying to sabotage the legislation.
As per this law, all builders will have to register themselves on the website of HRA and post details of their projects. The HRA will have a chairman and four members. The chairman will be a retired IAS officer who should have worked with the urban and housing departments in the past.
Another housing department official told dna that they were finding difficulties in identifying the office space for the HRA. "We wanted to locate it in South Mumbai itself. But there is no suitable space. Therefore, we decided to have the office at the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building in Bandra (East)," an official said.
However, former Mhada chairman Chandrashekhar Prabhu said the law is highly flawed. "The HRA will deal with new constructions and also with the sale of houses in the saleable component of redeveloped buildings. But it does not deal with rehabilitation of old tenants. The issue in Mumbai is more about redevelopment. HRA will be of no use to tenants who are victimised by developers. They will have to go to Mhada if they have any complaint against a builder. But the state government has ignored all these things in regulatory Act and approved with several flaws and thoughts," he added.
About the Act
The Housing Regulatory Act aims to regulate and promote construction, sale, management and transfer of flats on ownership basis. The Act will empower flat owners and will be a game-changer in regulating the housing sector. As per the Act, it will be mandatory for developers to register their projects with the government website and display all details. The promoter will have to pay fees not exceeding Rs50,000 along with the application for registration. If developers delay the project, they will be penalised Rs10 lakh and sentenced to maximum three years in prison. It will bring transparency and curb malpractice in real estate sector. It will also help curb speculative activity in the sector and contribute towards keeping prices in check
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}