MUMBAI: Ashish Shelar, the Guardian Minister for Mumbai Suburbs, announced on Thursday that a new government policy will soon regularize over 25,000 buildings in the city that have been denied Occupation Certificates (OC).
This initiative, ahead of the upcoming civic polls, will provide significant relief to thousands of residents living in these structures who have been classified as “unauthorized occupants.”
The decision was made during a meeting attended by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), along with the urban development, revenue, and co-operation departments, according to Shelar.
“We are creating a policy to issue OCs for buildings constructed under the BMC’s Development Control Regulations, as well as projects from MHADA, SRA, and other authorities that previously did not receive their certificates,” Shelar explained.
Issues arose from previous regulations’ loopholes or errors made by developers, he added. “A new policy will be implemented from October 2 to address these concerns and simplify the OC issuance process.”
Buildings previously denied OCs for reasons such as technical lapses, administrative errors, floor space discrepancies, “setback issues,” or regulatory changes will now qualify for the new policy.
“Residents will not face penalties if developers failed to provide the required flats or spaces,” Shelar stated. “The application process will be transparent and conducted online.”
The minister encouraged housing societies to proactively apply for OCs.
“Societies can submit applications jointly or individually for partial OCs under the new policy. No penalties will apply for applications filed within the first six months. However, required premiums for any additional Floor Space Index (FSI) usage must be paid,” Shelar concluded.
He expressed gratitude to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, and all officials for making this “pro-people” decision. “I urge all Mumbaikars to seize this opportunity starting October 2,” he added.
