Old buildings in Maharashtra must submit structural stability certificate for new water, drainage connections

Old buildings in Maharashtra seeking new water or drainage connections will now have to submit valid structural stability certificates and construction permits along with provisions for rainwater harvesting and biosludge management systems according to a government resolution GR issued on MondayThe new directive issued by the Urban Development Department makes compliance with these environmental measures a key condition for granting new water drainage and other utility connections to older structures across municipal corporations municipalities and nagar panchayats in the state reported PTIMove aimed at easing approvals for old buildingsThe move has been introduced as part of the governmentrsquos ldquoease of doing business and ease of livingrdquo reforms to ensure a uniform procedure for granting utility connections to old buildingsAccording to the Urban Development Department the procedure will apply to new water and drainage connections and similar utility services for existing buildings subject to compliance with specified conditions and all relevant provisions of the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations UDCPR and the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning MRTP ActCivic bodies to allow connections subject to conditionsAll municipal corporations municipalities and nagar panchayats will be required to grant permissions for old buildings seeking new water connections drainage connections and similar utility services provided the stipulated conditions are fulfilled the GR statedApplicants will have to submit the buildingrsquos construction permit and a valid structural stability certificate which will be examined by an engineerFeasibility report to assess rainwater harvesting waste systemsThe feasibility report will have to establish whether sufficient space is available within the building for rainwater harvesting and solid wastebiosludge management facilitiesIt will also have to assess whether the installation of such facilities could pose any danger to the building or neighbouring structures the GR statedMHADA amendment offers hope for redevelopment of 13000 ageing buildingsEarlier in July the Maharashtra government introduced a corrective amendment to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority MHADA Act to revive the stalled implementation of Section 79A a key provision aimed at expediting the redevelopment of dilapidated structuresMumbai has more than 13000 cessed buildings many of them constructed before 1940 Redevelopment of several such structures has remained stalled for decades due to landlordtenant disputes prolonged litigation and refusal by some landlords to undertake reconstructionThe urgency of the issue is underlined by official data RTI information obtained by activist Jeetendra Ghadge shows that Mumbai recorded 345 incidents of full or partial building collapses between 2021 and August 2025 resulting in eight deathsThe amendment passed by both Houses of the state legislature is now awaiting the Governorrsquos assentIt authorises officers empowered by MHADA to exercise powers under Section 79A and replaces the earlier reference to a ldquocompetent authorityrdquo The ambiguity over who constituted the competent authority had prompted the Bombay High Court to stay nearly 935 notices issued under the provision last yearSections 79A and 79B were introduced in 2020 following a series of fatal building collapses The provisions empowered MHADA to intervene when landlords failed to redevelop dangerous structures and allowed tenants with the consent of the majority to undertake redevelopmentA MHADA official said the authority had already submitted a special committee report to the Bombay High Court establishing that MHADA and its Building and Repairs Department were the competent authorities under the provisionldquoOur special committee report submitted to the Bombay HC was selfexplanatory and we have proven how MHADA and the Building and Repairs Department of MHADA are the competent authorities We hope the Supreme Court will also take the right decisionrdquo the official saidWith PTI inputs