Maharashtra govt's Pagdi building policy a ploy to throw occupants out of Mumbai: Aaditya

The Maharashtra governments real intention behind bringing a regulatory framework for old pagdi system buildings is to evict their occupants from Mumbai and benefit landlords and builders, Shiv Sena UBT leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged on Monday.He demanded that all tenants residing in these buildings or houses be declared as legal occupants and protected.

The Maharashtra government's real intention behind bringing a regulatory framework for old ''pagdi'' system buildings is to evict their occupants from Mumbai and benefit landlords and builders, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray alleged on Monday.

He demanded that all tenants residing in these buildings or houses be declared as legal occupants and protected. Last week, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who is also the Housing Minister, announced a new regulatory framework to redevelop buildings in Mumbai managed under the ''pagdi'' system, calling it a ''historic decision'' aimed at eventually making the city free of such properties.

''There have been instances where buildings are in a dilapidated condition and they are trying to throw the occupants out. The announcement by the housing minister was made for land owners and builders. ''They want to drive away lakhs of Mumbaikars living in these padgi houses out of the city,'' Thackeray alleged in a press conference.

He said the ''pagdi-mukt'' Mumbai slogan (on banners by Shinde) is deceiving. ''They want to drive them (occupants of these buildings) out of Mumbai,'' he said.

The new policy states that the occupants will get the same (carpet) area (after redevelopment). Why should they not get more space if the building or residential premises gets redeveloped? the Worli MLA asked.

This is not a people's government, Thackeray said and termed the BJP the ''builder janta party''.

He also demanded that high frequency defence radars in Mumbai should be shifted out to enable redevelopment of the areas around them, noting that the existing norms are hampering development. Explaining the rationale behind bringing the regulatory framework, Shinde had said some of these buildings had undergone redevelopment, while several of them collapsed, and nearly 13,000 structures have been awaiting reconstruction. Tenants in these structures enjoy protection under the Maharashtra Rent Control Act, while landlords claim they do not get fair compensation because of tenants' extensive rights, Shinde had said.

The announcement, made ahead of the crucial BMC polls, is expected to benefit thousands of tenants.

The "pagdi system" is a rent control arrangement that shaped housing in much of south and central Mumbai for decades. Under this traditional tenancy rental model, the tenant is a partial owner of the house who enjoys nominal rental rates, and also has the rights to sublet and sell the property. The tenants enjoy near-lifelong occupancy in exchange for an upfront payment and nominal rent.

However, the system was marred by opacity and bottlenecks that stalled redevelopment of these structures.

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