11 July,2013 06:38 AM IST | | Varun Singh
About 300 MHADA (Maharashtra Housing & Area Development Authority) flats meant for policemen are lying vacant at Sion's Pratiksha Nagar since 2010 as the housing development authority refused to hand over the flats to the police department.
Empty homes: The MHADA buildings in Pratiksha Nagar, for policemen, were built in 2010 and have been lying vacant since then. Pic/Shadab Khan
According to the officials at MHADA, of the Rs 30 crore that the department was supposed to pay up, it is yet to give Rs 3 crore, which would complete the transaction.
According to some sources in MHADA, the board had even suggested that if the police department is not able to make the complete payment, it could opt to purchase about 25 flats less, the cost of which would be equal to the balance amount.
"We had written letters to the department proposing home deduction if it is unable to pay the remainder," said N K Sudhanshu, Mumbai MHADA board's chief officer. The flats purchased by the police department are between 270-320 square feet in size. A source from MHADA said, "We proposed a deduction of 25 flats so that we can sell the remaining flats via lottery and recover the amount. It's a win-win situation for both."
Though the houses are small, they can add to the number of Lower Income Group (LIG) and EWS quota flats during MHADA'S lottery next year generating revenue for the board.
"The seniors at Mumbai police have written a letter to the state home department asking for funds. The moment it is released, MHADA would be paid," a senior IPS officer said on condition of anonymity. u00a0
