The proposed Thane cluster scheme for Lokmanya Nagar and Shastri Nagar is facing questions over whether low-income families will be able to afford the recurring costs of living in high-rise buildings, including lift operation, security, cleaning and maintenance.
Maharashtra Navnirman Sena leader Avinash Jadhav raised the concerns at a recent public meeting organised to address confusion among residents about the proposed redevelopment project. He said that while residents could receive homes through the cluster scheme, the financial burden of maintaining 30- to 35-storey buildings also needed to be planned.
“Many people who will live here are poor. Who will pay for the lift, security, cleaning and maintenance costs after they move into 30- to 35-storey buildings?” Jadhav asked, according to a report by Loksatta – Thane. He called for a plan covering these expenses alongside the provision of homes.
The meeting, described as a Lokmanya Nagar-Shastri Nagar determination gathering, was organised by Shiv Sena local corporator and house leader Hanmant Jagdale. The stated purpose was to address residents’ misunderstandings about the proposed cluster scheme and explain what they could receive under it.
Jadhav said he had attended the meeting not to oppose the cluster scheme, but to seek clarity on the benefits that residents would receive and how future expenses would be managed. His intervention placed the long-term operating cost of high-rise redevelopment at the centre of the discussion.
The issue is particularly relevant because the redevelopment would move many families currently living in chawls into taller buildings. The source report does not provide details of the proposed monthly maintenance charges, the structure for collecting them, the agency responsible for building management, or any subsidy or transition arrangement for households that cannot afford the costs.
Jadhav also clarified that the cluster scheme and the proposed ring road are separate issues. The distinction comes amid different discussions in the Lokmanya Nagar-Shastri Nagar area, where residents have sought clarity on the redevelopment proposal and its implications.
For residents, the question is therefore not limited to the size or ownership of the replacement homes. It also concerns whether the buildings can be operated and maintained over time without creating a new financial burden. The meeting did not establish a final maintenance mechanism, according to the available report.
The immediate demand raised at the gathering was for the authorities and project planners to explain the scheme’s benefits, the future cost structure and the arrangements that would apply after residents move into the proposed towers. Further details on the project’s implementation period and maintenance framework remain to be clarified.
