The Maharashtra government's housing agency MHADA, in its pre-monsoon survey, has identified nine cessed buildings in the island city as 'dilapidated and unfit for occupation'. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is now focusing on shifting the tenants living in these buildings, identified as 'dilapidated and unfit for occupation', to temporary shelters, Housing Minister Prakash Mehta said.

"Almost 500 people are currently living in the residential and commercial premises housed in these nine cessed buildings. Our efforts to shift them to transit camps are underway," he said. Residents of the building categorised as "cessed" are required to pay a cess to the housing authority for their upkeep. Earlier, Mehta held a review meeting with the MHADA officials and asked them to shift these occupants without any delay.

The minister appealed to the occupants to vacate the buildings. "MHADA has made arrangements for their accommodation. Considering the gravity of the situation, I appeal to the residents to vacate their dilapidated buildings as its a question of their lives." Every year in February, the authority's repair board undertakes a pre-monsoon survey of cessed buildings and tenanted structures built before 1969. It then comes up with a list of dilapidated buildings which appear vulnerable during the monsoon.

According to the agency, currently there are 14,375 cessed buildings in the city, of which 9 are located in areas such as Byculla, Kherwadi, Tardeo, Chandanwadi, Kalachowki and Cuffe Parade.