Hours after deputy CM announces framework for redvpt of pagadi bldgs, one such structure crumbles in Masjid Bunder, killing man
Kotak Bhavan, a dilapidated pagadi building in Masjid Bunder, where a slab collapse led to loss of life on Thursday night. PIC/SATEJ SHINDE
Hours after Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde informed the legislature about a new framework for the redevelopment of buildings operating under the pagadi system, part of a slab collapsed on the second floor of Kotak Bhavan, a dilapidated pagadi building in Masjid Bunder, killing one and severely injuring two, on Thursday night.
While the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) had declared 935 buildings dilapidated in this year’s pre-monsoon audit, Pagadi Ekta Sangh President, Mukesh Shah, said, “Thousands of buildings in the city have not been audited by any authority. If these structures aren’t audited, how can anyone declare what condition they are in?” According to the data available, eight deaths and 33 major injuries occurred due to full or partial collapses of these buildings from 2021 to August 2025.
The building
Kotak Bhavan, known as Sterling House after its ownership changed a year ago, hasn’t been audited in 33 years. Vitthal Borade, a building resident, said, “Our building is more than 60 years old. The last time our building was repaired was in 1992, when the then-owner changed all wooden poles and pillars to iron beams.”
Key points from Eknath Shinde’s speech
1 Three types of FSI will be given: Tenants must get FSI proportionate to their current area; landlords must get FSI proportionate to their land ownership FSI; incentive FSI will be given to redevelop these buildings
2 If any of these three types of FSI cannot be used or all three types cannot be utilised to their maximum use, FSI will be provided in the form of TDR
3 Proper implementation of Rent Control Act, which is applicable to tenants of pagadi buildings, is necessary as the agreements of these tenants are legally valid under this Act
4 The number of cases between landlords and tenants being heard is 28,000
5 Thus, a fast-track court will be set up to solve these matters within the next three years
6 13,000 pagadi buildings are awaiting redevelopment
The pagadi system
This is a traditional rental housing system where the tenants are partial owners of the house. Under this system, tenants pay a large one-time premium, known as pagadi, to landlords at the time of entry. In return, tenants receive near-permanent occupancy rights. Monthly rents remain extremely low and have often stayed unchanged for decades.
The mishap
Santosh Kumar Yadav, who took the victims of the collapse to JJ Hospital, said, “Mukesh Dendore, who runs a tea stall, was washing cups while two customers, Shafiq Islam and Shaliram Jaiswal, were sitting on a bench drinking tea when a cement slab fell on them. Other locals and I removed the debris, put the victims on handcarts, and took them to the main road, from where we took them to JJ Hospital ourselves. Unfortunately, Mukesh was declared ‘brought dead’.” Islam, meanwhile, was diagnosed with a broken spine, while Jaiswal lost two toes.
Hurdles in redeveloping pagadi buildings
Chandrashekhar Prabhu, a housing expert, said, “Provisions in the Rent Control Act fuel ongoing disputes between landlords and tenants. An amendment to the Act permits landlords to evict tenants if they need the premises for their personal use. Taking advantage of this, builders are showing that all their partners and their extended families require the premises for their personal use. Most documents submitted are forged or bogus. Yet lakhs of tenants have been evicted. The government is doing nothing.”
“The bigger problem is corruption among all authorities. There is a nexus between builders, politicians, and bureaucrats which wants to evict tenants. Also, when authorities say that the redevelopment of these buildings requires huge funds, the first question is why were they buildings not repaired regularly despite collecting cess from the tenants for this very purpose?”
Prabhu further alleged that MHADA wanted to hand over prime portions of South Mumbai’s cessed buildings to builders by evicting tenants. “The practical solution is the correct amendment of Rent Control Act with a view to protecting tenants and honest implementation without corruption,” he said.
Pagadi tenants’ activist Jeetendra Ghadge’s analysis
“This move will certainly benefit thousands of small buildings and those affected by road-widening projects. But, the government must ensure that tenants are rehabilitated in the same locality and that a minimum guaranteed incentive FSI is provided. Regarding the proposal for fast-track courts, the real focus should be on amending the Rent Act so that disputes between landlords and tenants do not end up in litigation. Most importantly, the government must prioritise redevelopment. Once a pagadi building is redeveloped, it becomes a cooperative society — a transition that will naturally phase out the pagadi system from Mumbai.”
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