Few Bhiwandi Illegal Builds Cleared Under MMRDA Scheme

04 Jul 2025 CW Team

The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority’s drive to legalise unauthorised buildings in the Bhiwandi Surrounding Notified Area (BSNA) has drawn hundreds of applications yet yielded scant approvals. Launched in March 2022, the policy seeks to curb litigation and raise funds for major infrastructure works by permitting offenders to regularise properties in return for hefty penalties set at 20 per cent to 100 per cent of the base premium rate.

Regularisation route

Applications received: 331
Approved: 33
Rejected: 113
Pending (with deficiencies): 185

Most rejections arose from zone mismatches with the sanctioned BSNA development plan and incomplete documentation.

Compounding route

Applications received: 194
Approved: 0
Rejected: 174
Pending (with deficiencies): 20

Not a single compounding application has cleared scrutiny, underscoring the stricter compliance bar for such cases, officials said.

How penalties are set

Charges are calculated on 25 per cent of the base premium outlined in the government’s ready reckoner for the approval year. Violations fall into four bands:

20 per cent: Work beyond the Commencement Certificate but within sanctioned plans.
40 per cent: Similar work carried out after a stop work notice.
70 per cent: Unapproved construction inside the plot’s permissible potential, including setback areas.
100 per cent: Work regularised via Transfer of Development Rights, plot amalgamation or extra Floor Space Index.

Lesser infringements such as change of use or interior alterations still attract sizeable fines.

An MMRDA official described the scheme as a pragmatic way to fold widespread infringements into the legal system while ensuring owners help pay for the region’s infrastructure ambitions.

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