CIDCO home buyers take out ‘injection’ rally, seek price cuts | Mumbai news

Navi Mumbai: Scores of applicants and allottees of flats in the City and Industrial Development Corporation’s (CIDCO) mass housing scheme, My Preferred CIDCO, marched to the CIDCO headquarters in Belapur on Thursday, carrying injections to ‘treat’ CIDCO officials. The protestors, who are seeking a 30-40% reduction in home prices, had also planned to court arrest, but were pacified after the authority extended the deadline for paying the booking amount by two weeks.

The ‘injection morcha’ was organised after talks between home buyers and the CIDCO managing director, Vijay Singhal, on Wednesday yielded no results, protestors told Hindustan Times. The rally commenced from Bhumiraj Tower in sector 30 under scorching heat, with many senior citizens and women among participants. Once it reached in front of the CIDCO headquarters, protestors set up temporary sheds and women took to cooking, saying they would live there as they could not afford homes under the CIDCO’s mas housing scheme.

CIDCO had, in October last year, initiated online registration for around 26,000 apartments under the ‘My Preferred CIDCO’ scheme. The homes, being built under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY), were placed in two categories – EWS, meant for applicants from economically weaker sections with annual income below ₹6 lakh; and LIG, meant for applicants from low-income groups with annual income above ₹6 lakh.

Although over 150,000 applicants signed up for the flats on offer, only 21,000 paid the booking amount and were allotted flats after CIDCO announced prices in January this year, with EWS homes priced at ₹25-48 lakh and LIG homes at ₹34-97 lakh.

Sandeep Yadav, who was allotted a two-bedroom apartment in Kharghar and was part of Thursday’s protest, said though his flat was priced at ₹97.2 lakh, it would actually cost him over ₹1 crore including stamp duty and registration charges.

“This is way beyond my means. I will have to cancel my booking if CIDCO does not reduce the price,” said Yadav.

Kavita Vaikar, who was allotted a flat near Kharghar railway station, also wondered how LIG category homes could be priced at over ₹1 crore. “The very purpose of PMAY housing is defeated,” she said.

Chandrakant Kumbal, a retired person who was allotted an EWS category flat at Ulwe for ₹40 lakh said he would be unable to afford the house unless the price was reduced by 30%. “Where will I even get a loan for it,” he asked.

Dattatrey Nikam, who was allotted a 292-square feet flat in Khandeshwar priced at ₹47 lakh said the rate was 40% higher than what CIDCO used to charge earlier. “The flats are certainly not meant for the EWS, but the well-off,” said Nikam.

Gajanan Kale, city chief of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena, which organised the rally, said, “CIDCO has spent over ₹700 crore for marketing but doesn’t want to give respite to home buyers. We will not resort to violence but use creative tactics to bring CIDCO officials to their senses.”