Mumbai is a city where even if one manages to get a job, it’s difficult to get a house to live in. The wish of millions in this metropolis to have their own house is a dream that not always gets fulfilled. Now, a decision by the state government has revived this wound.
The Uddhav Thackeray government has announced plans to build 300 houses for the MLAs who come from rural areas. Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) will build this residential complex which will have High Income Group (HIG) flats.
The state government has said that for MLAs coming from out of Mumbai, it is a big challenge to buy or rent flats in Mumbai. The MLAs cannot afford to pay high rent. So, all the MLAs barring from Mumbai, Thane and Navi Mumbai, will get flats in the new complex, the state government has announced.
A House Each for 300 MLAs
At present, the state Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) has 288 and the Vidhan Parishad (Legislative Council) has 78 members and thus there are a total of 366 MLAs. The number of MLAs coming from Mumbai and adjoining areas are between 54 to 60. So, the government has decided to build HIG flats for 300 MLAs in Goregaon. The land on which these flats are to be built is in possession of the MHADA.
The MLAs of the state are not happy with this decision of the state government and view this project as a ploy to stop them from changing their sides. And some are raising fingers at this decision of the state government. A report prepared by Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) after the 2019 elections, says that out of the 288 MLAs of the state, 264 (93%) are millionaires.
‘MHADA’ Flats are Cheaper
Compared to private builders, the flats built by MHADA are cheaper. In such a scenario, common people aspire to get a flat built by MHADA when it holds the auction. But for millions, this wish is never fulfilled.
– On 2 June 2019, for the auction of 217 flats built by MHADA in Mumbai, 66,000 people had applied.
-For auction held on 1 March 2020 for factory workers,1.74 lakh people had applied for the flats.
-For 812 Navi Mumbai flats, 2 lakh people had sent their applications.
– In 2021, 62,000 applications came for the auction of 1200 houses in Mumbai.
-for auction held in Pune for around 4000 flats, 52,000 people had applied
– auction held for 5500 flats in Kolhapur, Sangli, Nasik, 97,000 people had applied.
Now, the question being asked is, when MLAs are millionaires and earn a salary of ₹2 lakh per month and other allowances, why is the government building residential complexes?
The state president of the BJP MLA Chandrakant Patil has criticised this decision of the government and has said that this is being done to placate the unhappy MLAs. He says that MLAs may desert the party and this may lead to the collapse of the government that is why this decision has been taken. He sarcastically said, nobody was invited to become a MLA. So why should they get a flat?
The only MLA of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena in the state, Raju Patil, has opposed this decision of the state government. The common people are blaming the MLAs. He said that, instead, the government should provide 200-unit electricity free to the people of the state and get their blessings.
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