Eknath Shinde Announces Maharashtra’s Comprehensive Housing Policy To Address Land And Cost Challenges—Here's All About It

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Housing Minister Eknath Shinde has announced that the state government will introduce a new housing policy aimed at expanding affordable housing and streamlining the development process, reported The Economic Times.

The policy is designed to encourage private sector participation and address critical challenges such as land availability and cost efficiency.

One of the key initiatives under the new policy is the construction of One lakh homes by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) over the next two years.

This initiative aims to meet the growing demand for housing, particularly among economically weaker sections and middle-income groups. The government’s approach will be both strategic and well-planned, targeting urban housing solutions and ensuring that homes are accessible to all segments of society.

Shinde emphasised that the government is taking decisive steps to strengthen urban housing, with a particular focus on cluster redevelopment in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), Pune, and Thane.

These areas face significant challenges such as ageing buildings, fragmented land ownership, and inadequate infrastructure, making conventional redevelopment difficult.

The cluster redevelopment model introduced by MHADA aims to overcome these obstacles by focusing on large-scale, eco-friendly housing projects rather than individual building replacements.

The new housing policy will also align with Maharashtra's long-term urban development strategy, ensuring housing remains affordable for all.

Shinde highlighted that the central government has selected four states, including Maharashtra, to develop growth hubs. These hubs will be home to industries, IT companies, and service sector enterprises, creating vast employment opportunities.

In response to this, MHADA plans to develop 8 lakh homes to meet the housing demands of these growing urban centres.

Additionally, the state plans to expand rental housing and create hostels for working women, students, and senior citizens, supporting a diverse range of housing needs.

The new policy will focus on integrated infrastructure development, including modernised civic amenities, wider roads, and transit-oriented planning, all aimed at improving urban living conditions.

A structured approach to redevelopment will also include financial feasibility measures, optimised Transfer of Development Rights (TDR), and incentives for developers, making housing projects more viable.

The state has committed to transparent, time-bound execution with a single-window clearance system, and MHADA will oversee implementation through a dedicated redevelopment cell.

In the past 18 months, MHADA has already allotted 30,000 homes through 13 lotteries and continues to work on resolving stalled housing projects and accelerating slum redevelopment. Cluster redevelopment projects in Mumbai, Thane, and potentially Pune, are a key priority in this effort.