Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) has sent a notice to the income tax (I-T) department asking it to pay the lease rent of the plot it had been occupying at Powai for past 18 y
Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) has sent a notice to the income tax (I-T) department asking it to pay the lease rent of the plot it had been occupying at Powai for past 18 years. The notice also states that on failure of payment of the lease rent amounting to Rs 70 lakh by the I-T department, Mhada will be compelled to serve an eviction notice upon them under Section 66 of Mhada Act.
“We had given a plot to the I-T department in mid 1990s over which it had constructed homes for its staff. However, for the past 18 years, the lease rent had not been paid to the state housing authority. Hence, we have issued a notice to the department. If the notice is ignored and the dues not cleared, action would be taken as per the Mhada Act,” said Mohan Bobde, estate manager, Mhada.
After Mhada leased out the plot to the I-T department, it had constructed two buildings over it, which is used as staff quarters.
Mhada has undertaken a massive drive under which it had been serving notices to individuals and organisations that have failed to make payments in lieu of occupying Mhada plots.
The state housing authority has identified a number of defaulters from the Mumbai region. The Mumbai board has to collect a sum of Rs 35 crore from these tenants/lessee across the Mumbai region.
According to Mhada officials, many have not paid rent since 1994, the year Mhada last carried out a drive to collect due rents from the defaulters.
In case of tenants residing in Mhada’s transit camps, maintained by Mumbai Building Repair and Reconstruction Board (MBRRB), the outstanding dues amount to around Rs 100 crore. Notices are being sent to these defaulters.
The state housing authority had many premium plots at various locations across the city. Of these plots, while most have been used for construction of homes under the lottery systems, others had been leased out to various individual and organisations.
