 A building belonging to MHADA at Prateeksha Nagar, SionThe Maharashtra Housing Area Development Authority (MHADA) may stop building low-income houses soon.
The decision will affect people who have an income below Rs 10,000 per annum as MHADA has been providing flats to them at subsidised rates.
According to MHADA officials, the projects do not have many takers, so much so that they may have to drop the current project at Wadala consisting of 2,000 flats.
Citing another example, MHADA officials add that a project at Malvani on Marve Road in Malad (west) comprising 4,000 flats did not have enough takers.
The flats were ready for possession in 2,000 but are still lying vacant. Another low-income project at Prateeksha Nagar in Sion comprising around 2,000 flats remained unsold till 2003.
However, people who bought these flats have a different story to relate. They say takers are poor as the quality of construction is bad. Many residents say they want to desperately sell the flats but find no takers.
Says Nirmala Chavan, a resident of Prateeksha Nagar, Sion, My son bought the flat for Rs 5,68,000 and spent another lakh to make it habitable. We want to sell the flat, but there are no buyers. The flat has a water seepage problem.
MHADA officials say they have been trying to improve the quality of construction.
Said an official, One of the main reasons that these projects have flopped is because slum dwellers are entitled to free housing under the Slum Rehabilitation Scheme, and therefore they do not want to buy houses under the subsidised housing scheme. Further, migrants are not eligible to purchase the subsidised flats.
Ganpat Pawar working at a petrol pump bought a flat in Prateeksha Nagar, Sion around one year ago for Rs 5.5 lakh.
Pointing towards the bubbles on the wall, Ganpats wife Ranjana said, There is no demand for the flats due to the persistent leakage problems. Its tough during rains as water keeps dripping from the ceiling.
Residents also say that MHADA collects Rs 450 as society charges from each member, yet residents end up paying for security guards and other facilities in the building.
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