The BMC’s online lottery for 426 homes throughout the city received only 2,037 applications, reflecting a rather subdued response. The greatest interest was shown for the 14 homes in Marol, which garnered 937 applications, followed by 393 applications for 46 homes in Kandivali and 189 applications for 19 homes in Goregaon.
The flats, priced between Rs 55 lakh and Rs 1 crore, are situated in Kandivali, Bhandup, Byculla, Kanjurmarg, Jogeshwari, and Goregaon, and are designated for applicants from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) and Low-Income Group (LIG) categories. The BMC anticipates generating approximately Rs 308 crore from the sales.
The response was modest in comparison to lotteries held by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). For example, the MHADA Konkan Board’s draw on October 11 for 5,354 flats and 77 plots attracted an impressive 1,84,994 applications, of which 1,58,424 included earnest money deposits.
The BMC obtained these tenements under Regulation 15 of the Development Control and Promotion Regulations (DCPR) 2034, which stipulates that in residential projects on plots of 4,000 sq m or larger, developers are required to allocate a portion of the built-up area for affordable or inclusive housing. Additional flats have been secured under Regulation 33(20)(b), which encourages the development of affordable housing on private or non-government plots.
In the past, such homes were transferred to MHADA for allocation through its lottery system. However, to simplify the process, the BMC opted to conduct the draw independently this time. Furthermore, as the BMC will manage the sales process themselves, they will not incur any processing fees to any entity as they would have done with MHADA.
The final list of eligible applicants will be released on November 18 at 5 p.m., and the lottery draw will be held on Nov 20 at 5pm. The names of successful and waitlisted applicants will be announced on Nov 21 at 5pm.
