Maharashtra offers free regularisation up to 500 sqft for pre-2011 residential encroachments; Mumbai kept out

NAGPUR: Maharashtra govt has approved the regularisation of residential encroachments existing on govt land since Jan 1, 2011, or earlier, free of cost for up to 500 sqft, in order to provide housing security to lakhs of low-income families. The scheme will not cover Mumbai and Mumbai Suburban districts.

"It is the govt's firm stand that no needy family in the state should remain without shelter," revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said in a media statement on Sunday, adding that its progress will be reviewed every three months.

As per a govt resolution issued on Friday, encroachments beyond 500 sqft will attract an occupancy fee of 10% of the prevailing market value, while the maximum eligible area is capped at 1,500 sqft. Any excess construction will be removed. Structures with partial commercial use will be charged 25% of the market value for that portion.

The land will be granted jointly in the names of the husband and wife under the "occupancy class-II" category, with a registration fee of Rs 1,000 for plots up to 1,000 sqft. Authorities have mandated strict scrutiny to ensure that non-citizens are excluded.

Encroachments on ecologically or socially sensitive land — including riverbeds, grazing lands, forests, public roads, cremation grounds, playgrounds, and land reserved for schools and hospitals — will not be regularised. Eligible families in such locations will instead be considered for alternative housing under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.

To qualify, applicants must provide proof of residence before Jan 1, 2011, through documents such as voter lists, electricity bills, or property tax receipts, along with evidence of continuous residence over the past year.

Implementation will be overseen by multi-tier committees led by district collectors, sub-divisional officers, and tehsildars, with a 17-member panel under the guardian minister at the district level and additional committees at the constituency level.


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