Mumbai, April 10 – In an effort to address the growing housing crisis for the rising population in Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the administration on Friday to establish and implement a robust mechanism for affordable rental housing.
Highlighting the influx of people coming to Mumbai for employment and business, the Chief Minister also called for the development of a dedicated portal to streamline the process for citizens.
During a high-level meeting, Chief Minister Fadnavis emphasised that affordable rental options are a necessity for those migrating to Mumbai and other major metropolitan areas.
He stressed that the system should operate on a demand-supply basis, ensuring that citizens can find housing that fits their budget.
"The system must ensure that all proceedings follow legal agreements. Coordination is key to ensuring that neither the house owners nor the tenants face any difficulties," the Chief Minister said.
To simplify and strengthen the enforcement of the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, 1999, Chief Minister Fadnavis issued several key directives with regard to empowering authorities, scalability, formal notification, speeding up legal redressal, special courts, evening courts, and infrastructure.
"Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) are to be appointed as competent authorities under the Act. The system should be designed such that as police jurisdictions or stations expand, the number of competent police officers increase automatically. Official notifications will be issued to include these duties within the DCPs' formal work schedules," the Chief Minister said.
Recognising the massive backlog of rental disputes, Chief Minister Fadnavis proposed a multi-pronged approach to clear pending cases through the establishment of 100 Special Courts dedicated to resolving rent-related judicial matters.
Retired judges will be appointed to preside over these courts, he said.
"With the court's permission, "Evening Courts" will be initiated to fast-track long-pending cases. If dedicated space is unavailable for these courts, the state government will secure premises on a lease basis to ensure operations begin immediately," the Chief Minister added.