Maha to form committee to resolve OC woes of Mumbai buildings

Mumbai: State urban development minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday announced that the department would set up a committee to formulate a policy to address issues of the buildings in Mumbai that have partial occupancy certificates. Shinde said that the government is also mulling an amnesty scheme for buildings that do not have occupancy certificates.
Shinde made the announcements in the Legislative Assembly after the issue was raised by legislators Sunil Prabhu, Ashish Shelar, Yogesh Sagar and Amin Patel. They highlighted that citizens were bearing the brunt of these issues despite paying to the developers.
OC is issued by the civic body once all terms and conditions laid down by the civic body are complied with by the builder. OC certificate means that the building is fit to be occupied by the residents.
Owners of flats in the building which do not have the OC have to pay more in terms of certain charges by the local bodies.
According to civic officials, about 50,000 housing societies in Mumbai and Mumbai metropolitan region do not have final OC.
“We will make a positive decision within a month by setting up a committee to find a solution to these issues,” Shinde said.
The minister further said that the property tax is to be paid by the developer till the completion of construction of any building. “However, after the construction of the building, the developers often obtain partial occupancy certificate first. The municipal administration levies water and sewerage charges from the occupants of such buildings. But without OC, the residents are charged double water and sewerage tax and also have to pay property tax at an increased rate. Citizens living in these houses have to bear the brunt of hardships,” Shinde added.
Raising the issue, Shelar said that the middle-class in Mumbai is troubled when it comes to housing. “Many developers finish projects and obtain partial occupancy certificates. The developer, also at times, gets an occupancy certificate for a few floors while selling out the units on the other floors without an appropriate certificate. The middle class get misled and spend entire earnings on these properties. Justice should be provided to such occupants in Mumbai,” said Shelar.
Shinde also announced that the government would consider an amnesty scheme for the buildings that have not received OCs or have not met certain criteria and are deprived of OCs. “The number of such buildings in a metropolis like Mumbai is huge. Our department is positive about providing relief to them by launching an amnesty scheme through the Mumbai Municipal Corporation soon,” he added.
-
These 6 Karnataka cops have been awarded by centre for excellence in service
Six police officers from Karnataka have bagged medals this year as the union home ministry on Friday announced awards nationwide for over 150 police personnel for setting an inspiring example and answering the call to duty. Karnataka Lokayukta SP K Lakshmi Ganesh - who played a major role in unearthing illegal migrant documents nexus in the state -is among those who have won accolades.
-
ED freezes assets worth ₹370 cr of Bengaluru firm
The Enforcement Directorate on Friday said it has conducted searches at various premises of a private company in Bengaluru and froze assets worth Rs 370 crore. According to ED, a large amount of funds to the tune of Rs 370 crore were deposited by 23 entities including accused NBFCs and their fintech companies into the INR wallets of Yellow Tune Technologies held with crypto exchange Flipvolt Technologies Private Limited. The company's promoters went untraceable.
-
Karnataka Minister urges people to take pledge for organ donation
India], August 13 (ANI): Karnataka Health Minister K Sudhakar on Friday urged people to take a pledge for organ donation on the occasion of World Organ Donation Day. "During this Azadi Ki Amrit Mahotsav, pledge to donate your organs which could be "Amrit" for someone's life," Sudhakar said while addressing a press conference. The Health Minister recalled Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Mann Ki Baat address, in which he appealed to people to donate organs.
-
NDDB to work with NDRI to take research to farmers
The National Dairy Development Board has decided to work with the National Dairy Research Institute, Karnal, to take the research to the farmers, said chairman of the NDDB, Meenesh Shah. “We have decided to work jointly and take the research work further so that farmers can avail the benefits,” said Shah speaking at a programme organised to mark the silver jubilee celebrations of the Model Dairy Plant of the NDRI.
-
‘Har Ghar Tiranga’ drive paves its way to remote areas in J&K
As a part of 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign, hoisting a Tricolour has become a movement in J&K with several remote areas actively participating in the campaign. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had called upon all citizens to turn the 'Har Ghar Tiranga' campaign into a mass movement to commemorate the 75th anniversary of India's independence. According to a J&K government spokesperson, from Kathua to Kupwara, people of J&K, particularly children, are organising rallies.