The City and Industrial Development Corporation’s (CIDCO) mass housing scheme, scores of applicants gathered in Navi Mumbai this week to voice their frustration.
The protest, dubbed the ‘injection morcha’, took place outside the CIDCO headquarters in Belapur, with home buyers carrying injections symbolising their desire for “treatment” for what they claimed were inflated housing prices. Their demand? A reduction of 30-40% in the prices of the homes they had been allocated under the “My Preferred CIDCO” scheme.
The rally, which took off from Bhumiraj Tower in Sector 30, saw a large turnout of agitated citizens, many of whom were senior citizens and women. Despite the oppressive heat, the protestors marched to the CIDCO headquarters, where they set up temporary shelters and even began cooking in a show of defiance. Their message was clear: they would not leave until the authority responded to their plea for affordable housing. A portion of the protestors had initially planned to court arrest, but the situation de-escalated after CIDCO extended the deadline for paying the booking amount by two weeks, offering a brief reprieve to the frustrated crowd. The protest came on the heels of a meeting between home buyers and the managing director of CIDCO, Vijay Singhal, which failed to produce any meaningful solutions. While talks had been aimed at addressing the concerns of the home buyers, they ended in disappointment, prompting the protestors to resort to a public demonstration to press their case.
In October last year, CIDCO launched an online registration process for around 26,000 flats under the “My Preferred CIDCO” scheme, which was part of the government’s Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) initiative aimed at providing affordable housing to the masses. However, despite over 150,000 applicants, only 21,000 were able to make the booking payments and secure flats. The prices for these flats, which range from ₹25 lakh to ₹97 lakh depending on the category, have sparked outrage among applicants, especially since they feel the homes are priced far beyond their means. For many, who was allotted a two-bedroom flat in Kharghar priced at ₹97.2 lakh, the cost far exceeds their budget. With additional costs such as stamp duty and registration fees, Yadav estimates that the final price of his flat will exceed ₹1 crore, a figure he believes is unaffordable. Similarly, Kavita Vaikar, a resident who was allocated a flat near Kharghar railway station, expressed concern over the pricing of LIG homes, questioning how a home meant for low-income groups could be priced at over ₹1 crore.
The pricing issue was particularly concerning for applicants from the Economically Weaker Section (EWS), such as Chandrakant Kumbal, a retired individual who was allotted a flat at Ulwe priced at ₹40 lakh. He expressed his inability to afford the flat unless the price was reduced by 30%. “Where will I even get a loan for it?” he questioned, voicing a sentiment shared by many in the EWS category who feel excluded by the steep prices.
Even with the government’s intent to provide affordable housing, many feel that CIDCO’s pricing structure has undermined the very spirit of PMAY. “The flats are certainly not meant for the EWS, but the well-off,” said Dattatrey Nikam, who was allotted a flat at Khandeshwar but believes the price is too high for his income level. The protest, led by the city chief of Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Gajanan Kale, underscored the growing frustration with CIDCO’s refusal to adjust its pricing. Kale pointed out that CIDCO had spent over ₹700 crore on marketing these homes but had not made any efforts to offer relief to the home buyers. Kale affirmed that while the protestors would not resort to violence, they would continue using creative tactics to press their demand for price reductions. As CIDCO faces mounting pressure from home buyers, the issue raises critical questions about the accessibility of affordable housing in rapidly urbanising cities like Navi Mumbai. With many families still grappling with the financial strains of rising living costs, the promise of affordable housing is increasingly being seen as a hollow one, undermined by high prices that keep the dream of homeownership out of reach for a large segment of the population.
Home Buyers Demand Affordable Prices in Navi Mumbai
