Residents of cessed buildings can avail of free minor repairs though BMC funds

MUMBAI: Residents of cessed buildings in Mumbai can now avail of free minor repairs to compound passages, flooring, drainage and water pipelines after being apprised of a funding provision in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, which many were hitherto unaware of

MUMBAI: Residents of cessed buildings in Mumbai can now avail of free minor repairs to compound passages, flooring, drainage and water pipelines after being apprised of a funding provision in the Mumbai Municipal Corporation (MMC) Act, which many were hitherto unaware of. The applications will be processed on a first-come-first-served basis.

The initiative aims to address essential repairs in the premises of cessed buildings, which are generally undertaken by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) for major structural work. The civic body will bear the cost of the specified repairs without levying additional property tax, cess or other municipal charges on residents.

Rajeshree Shirwadkar, chairperson of the BMC’s education committee, said the scheme could benefit several cessed buildings in F North ward, particularly in Matunga, where many residents were unaware of the provision. “We undertake repairs to the premises below cessed buildings, including replacing compound flooring and repairing or replacing drainage, sewage and water pipelines, as MHADA does not do such work,” she said. “Major repairs to the buildings themselves will continue to be carried out by MHADA.”

Shirwadkar said the number of cessed buildings in the ward had declined from around 400-500 to approximately 300, largely due to redevelopment. However, many of the remaining buildings could benefit from the provision under the MMC Act. “Residents who approach my office for assistance with such repairs also end up paying their outstanding property tax bills in the process,” she said.

An official responsible for receiving repair requests through Shirwadkar’s office said the provision covered buildings that paid repair cess, and required minor repairs to common external infrastructure, including drainage and sewage lines, water pipelines and compound flooring.

“Once we receive a request, we submit a requisition to the BMC along with the cess bill,” he said. “Civic engineers then visit the premises and assess the work required. A contractor quoting the lowest bid is selected, and the BMC bears the cost through its designated fund. The arrangement is similar to how MHADA undertakes repairs in private housing societies, using funds made available through MLAs’ and MPs’ Local Area Development schemes. The BMC too uses a designated fund code to undertake minor repairs in eligible properties.”

Proposals for five buildings have already been received, indicating an initial response to the initiative. With limited funds, applications will be taken up on a first-come first-served basis. Residents of eligible cessed buildings are being encouraged to approach the local office and submit the necessary documents to seek assistance for essential repairs.

There are 14,207 cessed buildings located in Mumbai, mainly in the island city. These include about 11,950 A category buildings that were built before 1940, about 963 buildings classified as B category built between 1940 and1950 and about 1,294 buildings classified as C category, which were built between 1951 and 1969.