MHADA has offered approximately 6,500 vacant homes in Khoni-Shirdhon to Mumbai’s mill workers as a possible solution to the long-standing housing issue affecting more than 100,000 workers. The proposal was discussed at a meeting between the Konkan Board and mill workers’ organisations, but the unions have not yet given final approval.
The homes were built by MHADA’s Konkan Board under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY). They are located in Khoni and Shirdhon and measure approximately 350 square feet. The units have remained unsold despite more than two lotteries and subsequent attempts to sell them under a first-come, first-served process.
According to information provided by Konkan Board chief officer Dr Vishal Rathod, the original price of each home is about Rs 17.5 lakh. MHADA is examining whether applicable subsidies can bring the price down to approximately Rs 9.5 lakh for mill workers. The final price and terms have not yet been approved.
The proposal was presented to representatives of mill workers’ organisations at a meeting held on Friday. The organisations received information about the homes and their original prices. The response was mixed, with some unions supporting the option and others opposing it. A final decision by the organisations is expected after further consideration.
The same 6,500 homes are also under consideration for the rehabilitation of people living in encroachments within the Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The Forest Department has expressed willingness to purchase the vacant homes from MHADA for an estimated Rs 1,000 crore to Rs 1,100 crore. However, the department has not yet granted final approval to that proposal.
MHADA has therefore placed the homes before both potential groups: mill workers and families to be rehabilitated from the national park’s encroachments. Rathod said the board was seeking to sell the vacant units quickly and that the homes would go to whichever party takes a final decision first.
The competing proposals have created uncertainty over the eventual allocation of the homes. For mill workers, the Khoni-Shirdhon option could provide access to units at a price lower than their stated original cost, subject to subsidy approval and union acceptance. For MHADA, the homes represent a large vacant inventory that has remained unsold through repeated sales efforts.
The immediate next step is a final decision by the mill workers’ organisations on whether to accept the Khoni-Shirdhon homes. The Forest Department’s approval of its separate purchase proposal is also pending.
