State appoints 12 officers to expedite MahaRERA fine recovery

Maharashtra appoints 12 officers to recover ₹689.56 crore in penalties from builders, mainly in Pune and Mumbai, under MahaRERA's oversight.

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government has appointed 12 officers across five collectorates to fast-track the recovery of penalties imposed by the Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA). Most of the outstanding dues are concentrated in Pune district and the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, including Mumbai city, Mumbai suburbs, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad.

State appoints 12 officers to expedite MahaRERA fine recovery

So far, MahaRERA has imposed fines amounting to ₹912.11 crore. Of this, ₹222 crore has been successfully recovered, while ₹689.56 crore remains outstanding. (SEE BOX)

The issue was raised during the recent budget session of the state legislature, where minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule had assured the house that the matter would be addressed promptly.

Maharashtra was the first state in the country to implement the Real Estate Regulation and Development Act (RERA). While MahaRERA has been actively imposing fines on errant builders, the actual recovery of these penalties had remained ineffective until now.

In Mumbai, the resident deputy collector and an additional collector have been designated for recovery duties. In Mumbai suburbs, two additional collectors have been appointed.

In Thane district, both the additional collector and the resident deputy collector will handle recoveries. In Palghar and Raigad, two additional collectors have been designated for the task.

According to section 40(1) of the MahaRERA Act, recovery warrants allow for the attachment of flats and other properties to recover dues from builders. This provision also applies to flat purchasers where necessary. To date, MahaRERA has issued 1,342 recovery warrants across collectorates, of which only 316 have been executed. MahaRERA, which has the powers of a civil court, is currently headed by retired chief secretaries of Maharashtra.