Demands increasing to cease the minister quota in MHADA scheme

No response for the elected representatives quota in the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) lottery have fumed the housing activists of the city and they have now demanded scrapping of the quota and the same should be made available to general public.

MHADA had kept 78 flats reserved under the elected representatives quota that includes the current or former MPs, MLAs and MLCs, however only 14 flats received 30 applicants, while 64 flats remained unsold.

Out of that two leaders have won two houses so they would be forfeiting one house each thus leading to a surplus of 66 flats and raising questions on the reserved quota for them. Housing activists of the city have expressed their displeasure over the same claiming that the city is in desperate need of affordable housing and such reservations should be done away with.

"There is no need to have a special quota for the elected representatives and it should be scrapped immediately and also is any member of the family of an MP, MLA or MLC has a flat in the city, their application should be disqualified" said social activist Medha Patkar. Some activists have also targeted the increasing assets of the MPs and MLAs and hence demanded that they don't require any cheap house as they could afford expensive houses as well.

"The elected representatives do not deserve any special quota as most of them already have flats, even if not in their names but in the name of their kin" said Krishnaraj Rao, an RTI activist. He has alleged that they are already being given many privileges and pampered by the government. " I have came across a research that showed 400- 500% increase in assets between the time of two elections, hence they don't need an affordable house" added Rao.

Meanwhile MHADA would be consulting their legal department, as there is no clear directive in the MHADA Act, 1976 about what should be done in such a scenario.