Dream homes for many,others can live in hope

The turnout at Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authoritys annual lottery at Rangasharada Hall in Bandra on Tuesday was rather muted compared to the last two years.

The turnout at Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authoritys (MHADA) annual lottery at Rangasharada Hall in Bandra on Tuesday was rather muted compared to the last two years. The difference,however,ended there,for the exalted emotions and the quiet sense of disappointment were just the same for about 1.30 lakh Mumbaikars who had applied for the 4,034 affordable MHADA flats trying their luck at,perhaps,their only chance to own a house in the metropolis.

While a majority of the homes were for the economically weaker sections (EWS) and the low income groups (LIG) in Mankhurd,Malwani,Kandivli and Kurla,a few houses were also available for the middle income groups at Malwani and Sion and for the high income category at Powai,Borivli,Kandivli and Dahisar. While the previous years have seen at least 100 people applying for each flat,this year the ratio of flats to applicants was lower at 1:33,mainly owing to the bad timing of MHADAs decision to introduce a fully online application system. A majority of the applicants were from EWS and LIG who have never used a computer before. We have had people walking into the MHADA office and even asking us what a cyber café is so that they could fill the form in one, said a MHADA official.

Usha Naik,one such applicant,had come all the way from her small rented house in Dombivli to fill the forms for her son. Her son Ramesh,a tailor,had lost both legs in a train accident which claimed her husbands life. On Tuesday,the 66-year-old,who till a few hours was admitted to a hospital with chest pain,travelled all the way to Bandra as the term online results were alien to her. Her efforts,however,didnt go futile as her son got a EWS flat in Malwani.

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Both my son and daughter-in-law are handicapped and if not for this MHADA house,we could never have owned a house, said a visibly relieved Usha who almost fell at a MHADA officials feet on hearing her name announced. Similarly,noted Marathi actor Jitender Joshi,who got a HIG house in Powai,declared that it was the happiest day of his life. He said that despite being unable to afford a house for the last 15 years,he refrained from seeking favours from politicians and hence never applied under any discretionary quota. It has been a dream to own a house in Mumbai and I have been applying for a MHADA flat for the last four years, said Joshi.

Not all were so lucky though. Sixty-two-year-old Laxman Kowe,a retired BSNL employee,had vacated his official quarters in Andheri four years ago and since then,he and every member of his family have been applying for a MHADA flat. We have been living on rent in Ghansoli since my retirement,but I want to live in Mumbai. I have worked and lived here for 50 years,but I still cant buy a flat here, said a dejected Kowe. Kowe and lakhs of others like him can take heart from the fact that the housing board has promised to release at least 2,300 more flats next year despite the fact that MHADA is grappling with an acute paucity of land.

These 2,300 flats are under construction in Powai,Malwani,Dahisar,Gorai,Borivli and Sion. We will be holding another draw of lots for these and some more flats between May and November next year, said MHADAs Mumbai Board chairman Amarjeet Singh Manhas,adding that they are still working on ways to find land to construct more affordable houses.

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Dream homes for many,others can live in hope

The turnout at Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authoritys annual lottery at Rangasharada Hall in Bandra on Tuesday was rather muted compared to the last two years.

The turnout at Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authoritys annual lottery at Rangasharada Hall in Bandra on Tuesday was rather muted compared to the last two years.