Maharashtra to Expedite Deemed Conveyance for 70,000 Housing Societies

The Maharashtra government has initiated steps to fast-track the long-pending process of deemed conveyance for an estimated 60,000 to 70,000 cooperative housing societies across the state. The decision aims to simplify land title transfers, support self-redevelopment, and ensure the rollout of previously announced tax concessions and incentives.

The directions were issued during a special meeting held at Mantralaya in Mumbai, chaired by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. MLAs Pravin Darekar and Sanjay Kelkar were also present at the review meeting to discuss the challenges faced by housing societies.

Maharashtra currently has approximately 1.15 lakh registered cooperative housing societies, out of which nearly 60,000 to 70,000 have not yet obtained deemed conveyance. Bawankule instructed officials from the Revenue, Cooperation, Land Records, and Inspector General of Registration departments to coordinate and streamline the administrative process.

Under the new instructions, the name of the registered housing society must be recorded directly on the property card or in the "other rights" section of the 7/12 land record wherever applicable, allowing for an easier title transfer.

The meeting also examined issues related to societies under the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA). Although the state has abolished non-agricultural assessment tax for cooperative housing societies under MHADA, the tax is reportedly still being collected in certain locations. Bawankule ordered officials to address and resolve the unauthorized collections immediately. Additionally, he instructed the administration to formulate a clear procedure regarding flats reserved under Urban Land Ceiling (ULC) provisions across various buildings.

To assist societies facing hurdles in self-redevelopment due to lack of coverage under the Unified Development Control and Promotion Regulations (UDCPR), Bawankule directed officials to implement tax concessions and a 10 per cent incentive under the 2019 government resolution.

Officials were also told to prepare simplified standard draft templates for work contracts and development agreements to assist housing societies with self-redevelopment projects. Furthermore, the Housing Department was directed to submit a proposal to the Finance Department seeking a four per cent concession, while the Inspector General of Registration was asked to issue necessary clarifications on registration matters.