Maha: Path cleared for deemed conveyance of 70,000 housing societies

Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) In a significant move to immediately address pending issues and revenue-related concessions in the self-redevelopment process for lakhs of cooperative housing societies across Maharashtra, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday instructed officials to accelerate and simplify the Deemed Conveyance process.

Out of approximately 1,15,000 registered housing societies in the state, around 60,000 to 70,000 have yet to complete their deemed conveyance. The Cooperation, Revenue, Settlement and Inspector General of Registration (IGR) departments will now execute this process through coordinated efforts.

The Revenue Minister directed that the names of registered housing societies be directly recorded under the “other rights” column on Property Cards or 7/12 land title extracts, said a release issued by his office.

A revenue department officer explained that Deemed Conveyance is a legal process that transfers the title of land and buildings to a housing society when a builder or developer fails or refuses to do so voluntarily. Under laws like the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act (MOFA), developers must transfer ownership within four months of a society’s formation, and deemed conveyance provides a way to bypass an uncooperative builder.

Bawankule issued directives to finalise key policies and ensure swift execution. At the meeting, officials held detailed discussions on long-pending problems faced by housing societies, leading to critical decisions.

According to the minister, several housing societies face hurdles in their self-redevelopment plans because they are not included under the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR).

To resolve this, he instructed the implementation of tax concessions and a 10 per cent incentive in line with the 2019 Government Resolution (GR).

Additionally, he directed officials to draft a simplified standard format for “Work Contracts” and “Development Agreements” for self-redevelopment. The Housing Department was also directed to submit an expedited proposal to secure a 4 per cent concession from the Finance Department, while seeking clarification from the Inspector General of Registration (IGR).

Although the state government had previously exempted Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) cooperative housing societies from Non-Agricultural (NA) tax, the meeting highlighted that NA tax is still being collected in certain areas. Bawankule issued orders to formulate a clear procedure regarding flats reserved under the Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) Act.

–IANS

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