MUMBAI: Mhada conducted its fifth Lokshahi Day on Monday Aug 12 at its Bandra (East) headquarters.
The housing agency’s vice president and CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal reviewed nine applications, heard the grievances of the applicants and issued instructions to officials for “prompt action on each complaint”.
However, the cases also served to highlight how basic consumer grievances have gone unaddressed for years, even decades, in the absence of a proper redressal mechanism and policy.
Of the nine cases, seven were related to the Mumbai Board, one pertained to the Mumbai Repairs and Reconstruction Board, and one was associated with the Pune Board.
One applicant, Hiren Mehta, a ‘beneficiary’ of the 2014 lottery, took possession of a Mhada flat at Dahisar in 2023 after the waitlist was activated. However, before taking possession, he was charged maintenance fees dating back to 2014. Mehta argued that it would be appropriate to charge the maintenance fees only from the date of possession of the flat. Jaiswal instructed officials to study the issue, considering similar complaints, and to “prepare a fair proposal within the framework of the rules”.
Another applicant Surekha Kale had purchased a Mhada flat in 2007, with a portion of the total sale price remaining unpaid. Due to the non-payment of the outstanding amount over several years, Mhada had imposed a late fee, amounting to Rs 7.5 lakh as interest on the remaining sale price. Kale requested a waiver of this late fee, and Jaiswal directed officials to examine the documents and explore options for waiving interest.
Expressing concern over the years of delay in resolving citizen issues due to the lack of policy decisions, Jaiswal pointed to the need for Mhada to “adopt citizen-friendly policies that prioritise the convenience and welfare of the public”.
He instructed officials to submit a report on the action taken within the next 15 days. He directed that any pending applications from the previous Lokshahi Din be resolved promptly.
