The BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has managed to integrate its website with MahaRERA, leaving other local bodies non-compliant. This directive, issued by the Urban Development Department (UDD) last year, aimed to ensure that commencement certificates (CC) and occupation certificates (OC) for new projects are uploaded to the MahaRERA website, thereby providing a transparent view of building sanctions granted by local authorities.
The Deputy Chief Minister, Devendra Fadnavis, has warned developers of potential repercussions, such as the denial of water supply to new projects if they fail to comply with these regulations. He has instructed the UDD and MahaRERA to address these issues promptly. According to an official, despite being given ample time until June 19 last year, and receiving multiple reminders, many municipal bodies have yet to integrate their websites with MahaRERA. “We had already given them time till June 19 last year after the March directive. Despite reminders, many municipal bodies had committed, but not integrated their websites with MahaRERA,” the official said.
Pune Municipal Corporation authorities have assured that their integration efforts are underway and will be completed soon. The UDD’s directive was prompted by incidents involving fraudulent documents submitted by developers from Kalyan-Dombivli to procure MahaRERA certificates. This raised the need for stricter monitoring to prevent such occurrences in the future. Citizen activists have expressed concerns over the lack of enforcement and monitoring. S Joshi, a citizen activist, remarked, “Despite the orders being in place, there is no monitoring and local bodies are continuing to default on their promises.” He emphasised that integrating building permissions with the MahaRERA website would enable the authority to oversee developers’ commitments.
“The building permissions granted by the local authorities, if integrated with the MahaRERA website, will enable MahaRERA to keep a check on the promises made by developers. If developers do not adhere to the sanctioned plans, MahaRERA can cancel their registration,” said S Prabhu of the Citizen Consumer Group. The integration is crucial for ensuring transparency and accountability in the real estate sector. It allows MahaRERA to monitor and verify the authenticity of the documents submitted by developers, thereby protecting the interests of homebuyers and maintaining the integrity of the real estate market. The reluctance of local bodies to comply with the directive undermines these efforts and poses a risk of fraudulent activities going unchecked. As the situation stands, the onus is on local bodies to expedite the integration process and align with MahaRERA’s requirements. This alignment is essential for maintaining a robust regulatory framework that safeguards the interests of all stakeholders in the real estate sector.
