MHADA begins preparation to hold lottery draw for 5,000 homes, 50% units in Patra Chawl

The Mumbai Housing and Area Development Board (MHADB), MHADA’s Mumbai arm, has begun internal preparations for the housing lottery by compiling a list of projects and available units, which is a key step before the formal announcement.

“A consolidated list of projects across Mumbai, along with the number of homes, has been submitted to MHADA’s vice president and chief executive officer for approval on which projects and how many units will be included in the upcoming lottery,” said an official familiar with the process.

Once the sale is announced, MHADA is expected to keep applications open for nearly two months. The lottery draw is therefore likely to be held either towards the end of April or in May.

A significant portion of the flats in the forthcoming lottery will be from under-construction projects across the city. Several of these developments are still in the early stages, with only foundation work or a few floors completed. As a result, possession of many of these homes is expected only after 2028 or later.

The largest share of units, between 2,400 and 2,500 flats, is likely to come from the Patra Chawl project in Goregaon West. Of these, around 2,300 homes are expected to be earmarked for low- and middle-income groups, while the remaining units will be offered to high-income group buyers. MHADA has received the necessary clearances from agencies such as the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to commence construction. The proposed towers will rise to 40 storeys, or approximately 120 metres.

The Patra Chawl redevelopment project controversy involves allegations of a ₹1,034 crore money laundering scam, leading to the arrest of Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut in 2022. The case concerns Guru Ashish Construction, which allegedly cheated 672 tenants by selling FSI to developers instead of providing promised homes. The ED claimed Pravin Raut, an associate, diverted funds to Sanjay Raut’s family to buy properties, calling it a “proceeds of crime” transaction. However, Sanjay Raut denied wrongdoing, calling it a political vendetta.

In addition to the Mumbai Board’s lottery, MHADA’s Konkan Board is also planning a separate housing draw.

Traditionally, MHADA conducts large-scale housing lotteries around the festive season. The authority had earlier intended to hold a draw around Diwali ahead of civic body elections, but was unable to do so, prompting the exercise to be pushed to 2026.

The last MHADA housing lottery in Mumbai was held in 2024, when 2,030 homes were offered and attracted 1,13,577 applications. In 2023, the authority received 1,20,144 applications for 4,082 tenements spread across four income categories.