CIDCO finally approves decades-old demand for freehold land for Navi Mumbai

CIDCO has approved converting leasehold land to freehold in Navi Mumbai, eliminating transfer fees and NOCs, benefiting millions across Maharashtra.

STRAP: Transfer charges and NOCs also to be scrapped; PAPs, other CIDCO areas in state too will benefit

CIDCO finally approves decades-old demand for freehold land for Navi Mumbai

NAVI MUMBAI: In a major decision that will impact lakhs of people and several cities, particularly Navi Mumbai, the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has approved a proposal to convert leasehold land in its jurisdiction to freehold, thereby giving absolute ownership to the property owners. Additionally, no charges will have to be paid for sale, purchase or transfer of properties or NOC required from CIDCO henceforth.

The decades-old demand of Navi Mumbai residents was finally approved by the CIDCO board of directors at its meeting at Nirmal Bhavan in Mumbai on Tuesday. “This is a historic decision which will benefit CIDCO house owners all over Maharashtra, including Navi Mumbai, Sambhaji Nagar, Nasik, Palghar, Virar, Sindhudurg and Jalna,” said CIDCO chairman Sanjay Shirsat. “Around two crore people in the state will benefit from it, with maximum impact in Navi Mumbai.”

Elaborating on this, Shirsat explained, “The decision will provide ownership rights to people and also give them relief from paying transfer charges or doing the rounds of CIDCO offices for various permissions. The board resolution will now be sent to the state government for approval. There is no doubt that it will be approved quickly, as it was taken after discussions with chief minister Eknath Shinde who is known to take immediate decisions in the people’s interest.”

Shiv Sena upneta Vijay Nahata, who recently led a delegation of Navi Mumbai housing organisations to Shinde, who then gave instructions to Shirsat, said, “Residents will get absolute ownership right of their properties to sell, transfer or mortgage without approaching CIDCO. The conversion to freehold will be a simple process for those who have their lease documents complete. We are requesting the government to charge a nominal premium to make it affordable to all.”

Nahata said that while residents of CIDCO-developed nodes, numbering around 17 lakh in the NMMC area and several lakh in Panvel and Uran, would benefit, the PAPs of 95 villages, whose houses are to be regularised following a recent GR, would get ownership rights too. “After regularisation on a leasehold basis, freehold conversion will happen,” he said.

Denying that it was an election stunt, Nahata, a former IAS officer, said, “For years, claims were made by several leaders of resolving the issue but we have actually done it based on detailed study and technical understanding. It will be sustainable and is not an election jumla. It required political will, which chief minister Eknath Shinde, who works for the people, has exhibited, with CIDCO chairman Sanjay Shirsat implementing his instructions immediately.”

Speaking on the burden that residents bear, Shiv Sena city chief coordinator Kishore Patkar said, “The transfer charges were too high for the common person who owned a CIDCO-constructed flat. They had to pay taxes to NMMC, which, of course, provides infrastructure and also to CIDCO.”

Patkar said that CIDCO “resorted to dadagiri (bullying) of citizens. “Even for transfer of flat ownership to the kin on the owner’s death, it took a year, as several rounds of CIDCO had to be made despite charges being already paid. Even for mortgaging one’s property purchased from a private developer, one had to get an NOC from CIDCO.”

Welcoming the decision, Bhaskar Mhatre, general secretary of the Navi Mumbai Cooperative Housing Federation said, “Navi Mumbai residents have been hugely burdened with the ever-increasing transfer charges for the last three decades. We had created awareness on the issue with other organisations and also met the CM with Nahata for a resolution. It has finally happened, and it will ensure huge financial savings and reduce the burden of flat buyers who have paid ₹1,100 cr transfer charges to CIDCO.”