Sources told Mumbai Mirror that the delay stems from uncertainty over the availability of senior political leaders, with the offices of those approached by MHADA yet to confirm their schedules.
The authority is keen to have either the chief minister, a deputy chief minister or the minister of state for housing preside over the event. “But their packed political calendars have prevented us from finalising the date,” a source said.
The MHADA Mumbai Lottery has already witnessed a series of extensions and postponements, delaying the draw by several weeks.
The first extension came when MHADA pushed the application deadline from mid-April to May 14, giving prospective homebuyers more time to register and pay the earnest money deposit (EMD). A day before the revised deadline, on May 13, the authority extended the application window again, this time to May 28. Officials cited lower-than-expected EMD payments and concerns over high property prices as the reasons.
The computerised lottery draw, originally scheduled for June 5, was later postponed to June 30. However, it did not take place on the revised date either.
The lottery now remains indefinitely delayed, with the final schedule awaiting approval from the state government.
Confirming the development, an IAS officer at MHADA said the schedule was initially disrupted by the model code of conduct during the recently concluded MLC elections and later by the Monsoon Session of the Maharashtra Legislature.
Now that the session has ended, MHADA has stepped up efforts to secure a chief guest but is still awaiting confirmation from the political leadership.
“We have approached the chief minister, deputy chief minister and minister of state. But everyone is occupied with official engagements, so we have not been able to finalise the lottery date,” the officer said.
The prolonged uncertainty has fuelled anxiety among thousands of applicants, many of whom have been checking MHADA’s website daily for an announcement.
The officer, however, said applicants would not have to wait much longer.
“Even if the ministers remain unavailable, we will announce the lottery date this week or next week. In that case, MHADA Vice President and CEO Sanjeev Jaiswal will be the chief guest. This lottery is a major milestone as we are offering 2,640 apartments across Mumbai,” the officer said.
The lottery covers all income categories, including the economically weaker section, low-income group, middle-income group and high-income group (HIG).
This year’s draw includes flats in Dadar, Tardeo, Wadala, Goregaon, Borivali, Gorai, Bandra, Vikhroli, Ghatkopar, Chembur and Powai.
Anxious homebuyers
“I applied for two HIG flats, which meant paying an earnest money deposit of Rs 1.5 lakh for each application. That’s Rs 3 lakh of my money blocked with MHADA since the EMD payment deadline on May 29, with absolutely no clarity on when the lottery will be conducted,” said an applicant, requesting anonymity.
“More than 70,000 applicants have paid their EMDs, meaning hundreds of crores of rupees are lying with MHADA, yet there isn’t even a tentative lottery date or an official explanation for the delay,” the applicant said.
“In previous lotteries, the draw would usually take place within a week or two of the final application list being published. This time, the final list was published on June 16, and applicants are still waiting without any communication or timeline. There has been no official announcement,” the applicant added.
“For many applicants, Rs 1.5 lakh or Rs 3 lakh is a substantial amount – money set aside for a down payment, emergencies or years of savings. Keeping such large sums locked indefinitely without any explanation is simply unacceptable. We fulfilled every requirement and met every deadline set by MHADA. The least we deserve is a clear explanation for the delay and a definite timeline for the lottery,” said another homebuyer.
This content is sourced from mumbaimirror.indiatimes.com and is shared for informational purposes only.
