Mhada asks BMC to clear dues of Rs 70 cr

Mumbai: The Maharastra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) repair board on Wednesday sent a letter to Mumbai mayor Vishawanath Mahadeshwar and the Brihan-mumbai Municipal Corporation chief Ajoy Mehta, demanding payment of the outstanding amount of Rs 70 crore to the housing authority.

The civic body charges tax on cessed buildings, which is to be transferred to the Mumbai Repair and Rehabilitation Board (MRRB). Rs 10 crore is the amount liable to be paid every year. According to Maharastra Housing and Area Development Authority officials, the civic body hasn’t paid this amount from 2012-13 to 2018-19. The amount is collected in order to support repair works undertaken by the authority.

“There are 16,000 cessed buildings under the repair board and many require urgent repairs, but we do not have sufficient funds to carry out the repairs. I had written to the chief minister demanding funds after which, he directed Mhada to give Rs 100 crore to the board. Of the Rs 100 crore received, Rs 60 crore had to be given for pending bills. Hence, we have now asked the civic body to clear their dues immediately,” said Vinay Ghosalkar, president of Mumbai Repair and Rehabilitation Board.

“The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) collects the tax from cessed buildings every year, but they haven’t paid us since the last seven years,” he added.