Mumbai’s Occupancy Certificate (OC) amnesty scheme has received a software change after a PEATA seminar drew society representatives and flat owners seeking clarity on how to regularise buildings without OCs. The BMC has modified its AutoDCR system to allow landowning housing societies to submit applications directly, according to PEATA president Yomesh Rao.
The seminar, organised by the Practising Engineers Architects and Town Planners Association in Dadar, focused on the civic scheme covering approximately 19,000 Mumbai buildings that lack Occupancy Certificates. The event followed concerns over weak public awareness and low initial uptake of the programme.
The software update removes an automated restriction that had prevented landowning societies from submitting applications. PEATA said societies that own their land, as well as applicants holding a no-objection certificate from the landowner or developer, are eligible to apply under the scheme.
However, individual flat owners and societies that do not own the land remain unable to proceed in the absence of explicit directions from the Urban Development Department, according to the association. The distinction is significant for residents whose buildings are occupied but whose documentation and approval process remains linked to a developer or landowner.
The scheme’s eligibility deadline was also criticised at the seminar. Loy Dias, vice-chairman of the Voice of Kalina ALM and a retired civil engineer, said the programme was limited by a lack of public awareness and by its restriction to buildings completed and occupied before November 17, 2016. He called for eligibility to be extended to buildings occupied up to March 31, 2026.
Dias also demanded that heavy financial penalties imposed on residents be waived, that registrations of defaulting builders and architects be frozen until cases are resolved, and that internal files of the BMC’s Buildings and Proposal Department be audited. He further sought the appointment of nodal officers in every ward office to help affected societies navigate the process.
Guardian Minister of Mumbai Suburbs Ashish Shelar, who addressed the gathering, stressed the need to issue OCs to affected residents and urged ward-level drives to reach occupants. Organisers and civic representatives, however, said public outreach remained the municipal body’s responsibility, comparing the need for promotion with the way tax amnesty schemes are publicised.
PEATA said the seminar also clarified that applying under the amnesty scheme does not waive residents’ legal rights. Flat owners can continue to pursue claims against defaulting builders in consumer forums or civil courts, including claims to recover costs, the association said.
The association has announced a social media campaign and operates a helpdesk to guide applicants. The immediate next steps are further technical assistance for societies, continued clarification of eligibility for non-landowning applicants and ward-level outreach by the civic administration.
