HC asks MHADA to finalise long pending redevelopment plan

The court directed MHADA to decide redevelopment plan after reviewing the proposals of both, the tenants and the landlord, within 15 days

MUMBAI: The Bombay high court recently directed the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) to finalise the redevelopment plan of a dilapidated building, Kalyan Bhavan, in south Mumbai that has been pending since 2023.

HC asks MHADA to finalise long pending redevelopment plan

The conflict dates back to 2023 when Kalyan Bhavan, a building situated on Kalbadevi Road in south Mumbai, was declared dilapidated and unsafe to live in. Following this, MHADA issued a notice to the landlord in May 2023, directing him to submit a redevelopment proposal within six months with the consent of 51% of the tenants of the building.

The landlord of Kalyan Bhavan submitted a redevelopment proposal on June 4, 2024, after which MHADA issued a letter of intent (LoI) to him, finalising the redevelopment plan.

Challenging MHADA’s decision, the tenants approached the Bombay high court in November 2024, pleading to quash the proposal presented by the landlord, stating that he had missed the deadline. They claimed that an amendment to the MHADA Act made in 2022 gives the tenants the right to redevelop a building in case the landlord fails to take any action within the stipulated timeframe. The high court observed that the tenants’ proposal must be taken into consideration, as the landlord had not met the legal timelines.

With no progress in the matter, the tenants approached the Bombay high court again in 2025, urging the court to direct MHADA to finalise their proposal.

The division bench of justices G.S. Kulkarni and Arif Doctor on July 9 directed the MHADA to finalise a redevelopment plan after reviewing the proposals of both parties, within 15 days.

While noting that the MHADA had already started a demolition drive, the court urged the tenants to cooperate with the ongoing demolition and vacate the premises, allowing the MHADA to redevelop the building.