Housing Melava at Matunga 2012

Collective strength

Commemorating 2012 as the International Co-operative Year, the Housing Melava held last week drew a huge crowd, says Shilpa Sachdev

Top dignitaries and government experts from the housing sector graced the Housing Melava held on June 13, 2012 at the Shanmukhananda Hall in Matunga. The event was organised by the Co-operative Department of Maharashtra to honour the contribution of Yashwantrao Chavan who is known as the father of co-operative movement in India. It was he who brought the Maharashtra Ownership Flat Act, 1963 into action to safeguard the interest of the flat buyer. The event saw Chief Minister of Maharashtra Prithviraj Chavan and Deputy C.M. Ajit Pawar in attendance along with Co-operative Minister Harshvardhan Patil and bureaucrats like Gautam Chatterjee, Principal Secretary, Housing Dept of Maharashtra, BMC commissioner Sitaram Kunte, Upper Registrar Sheshrao Sangle, Ramesh Prabhu, Chairman, Maharashtra Societies Welfare Association and many other experts from housing and co-operative department.

Ramesh Prabhu spoke extensively on the growing importance of deemed conveyance and the procedure to obtain the same. According to Prabhu, if the builder has not transferred the conveyance of the building to the society, the society by following a procedure, can get a deemed conveyance issued within six months from the date of making an application to the Competent Authority for Deemed Conveyance. “The society needs to approach the Notified District or Joint Registrar (Competent Authority) with required documents, attested and approved building plan and property card. The society members can make use of the RTI Act to procure any required information. Once you give a written evidence for application of deemed conveyance to the Competent Authority( Dist Dy. Registrar or Joint Registrar), within  six months the Competent Authority will either issue a deemed conveyance order giving details of the land and the building to be conveyed or rejection on any grounds not adhered to after a thorough check,” Prabhu explains.

The newly elected BMC commissioner Sitaram Kunte talked about the new development control rules as revised in January and also explained the FSI allocation thereof. “Mumbai has been constantly developing and to support the growth the development control rules have also undergone changes so from FSI, we now have TDR and even fungible FSI. For residential buildings, they get 1 FSI and 1 TDR and 35% fungible FSI so total FSI for residential building today stands at 2.7 if they want to go for redevelopment. However, for MHADA and SRA, the FSI norms get more liberal. They can get FSI of up to 4-4.5 provided 60% of the development of entire layout is reserved for EWS/LIG segment.  For redevelopment in the island city, FSI of 4 is allowed for cluster development. With additional 35% Fungible FSI (1.4 fungible FSI on Original FSI of 4), at the time of redevelopment total 5.4 FSI can be used.” Kunte said that the housing societies should make use of the available FSI to create better homes.

Gautam Chatterjee, Principal Secretary of the Housing Dept of Maharashtra said that the joint committee is holding regular discussions to bring out a new Housing Bill under which the thrust will be on effective disclosures. He said that the suggestions and objections to the new law have been received and are under study and review. He assured to bring a good law in place that will keep a thorough eye on the housing sector. Ramesh Prabhu, who is representing all the housing societies, was one of the stakeholders called by the joint Committee to understand concerns and the objections on the New Housing Bill. Other stakeholders also have been called and the consultation is in progress. Chatterjee also stated that once the Bill becomes an Act, there will be better control, accountability and easy redressal of the consumers grievances. 

To improve the effectiveness of the housing sector, the government has brought into force many different steps. The housing darbars are conducted regularly once in every three months on the first Sunday of the month. A diploma course in Housing Society Management has been designed to train the members of the housing societies. Soon a directive will also be issued to employ people who have studied this course in the managing committee for better management of the society adhering to the legal framework. The byelaws have been revamped from time to time. The government is also going to publish the Housing Manual which will be a bible for the housing societies. This will be made available to the public on the official websites as well. 

Talking about deemed conveyance, Co-operative Minister Harshvardhan Patil shared that in the last six months, around 450 buildings have approached them for deemed conveyance on which 70% work has been completed. He called for a common formula or a single window system to solve problems of the co-operative sector.  He further requested the CM to approve a notification to exempt housing society committee members from executing M-20 indemnity bond as the committee members are working on honorary basis. Further he said, there is need to bring out a provision to expel the member from the society who is a habitual complainant and a litigant and brings hurdles in the smooth functioning of the society.

Extending his support, Deputy C.M. Ajit Pawar assured that proper steps will be taken to strengthen the co-operative movement in Maharashtra. CM Prithviraj Chavan said that Maharashtra is the first state who is working on bringing a Housing regulator in place where societies can get their grievances solved. The minister said that the housing regulatory will be a revolutionary step and will be finalised soon.