MHADA's aim is to give homes to those who cannot buy houses from the real estate market because of high prices. However, this year, in the Economically Weaker section, there are hardly 63 homes, as compared to the Middle Income Group where there are 201 homes, and the High Income group where the number of homes stand at 194. Housing experts say, this is what MHADA is lacking, it should not be selling more homes for those who can afford the open market rates, but for those who cannot.
MHADA on Monday came out with a lottery advertisement where it decided to sell 1384 homes on December 16, via lottery. The registration began on Monday. One thing that housing experts claim is what has confused them is the number of homes for the lowest earning category is very less it is lesser than the HIG and MIG category. "MHADA should not even have High Income Group homes, they should focus only on the lower income groups, which includes the EWS especially. Because this is the class that cannot afford to buy homes from the open market. But look at the number of homes on the list for EWS, and it will make you feel realise that they have the least number of homes," said Dr Sanjay Chaturvedi, a housing expert.
Madhu Chavan, the Mumbai Board chairman of Mhada, says that not all houses can be put in one category, there are certain percentages divided and it has been done that way. "If one notices then the prices of the homes this year are way less, since I came in, we even decided that the prices of the homes have to be reduced and the prices that you see now are the reduced one."
MHADA had even formed a committee that had decided to look into the pricing policy of MHADA and according to senior officials from MHADA say that certain points of it has been implemented in this lottery and hence the prices have come down.
For example the prices of homes in Lower Parel in the last lottery that were priced at Rs 1.92 crore has been brought down to Rs 1.36 crore, while the homes that were priced at Rs 1.36 crore has now been brought down to Rs 99 lakh. They say this is because of the pricing policy change.