The government of Maharashtra is poised to address the issue of high premiums imposed on real estate development projects in Mumbai, the country's commercial hub. Housing Minister Atul Save plans to convene a meeting with key stakeholders from the state's Finance Ministry, Urban Development, and Revenue Departments to assess these charges. Real estate developers have been advocating for a 50 per cent reduction in premiums to make the city more affordable for both homebuyers and businesses. Representatives from the realtors' body CREDAI-MCHI recently met with the state's Revenue Minister, Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, to emphasise the challenges contributing to the decline of Mumbai's appeal as the nation's financial capital, primarily due to its exorbitant real estate prices. I will soon convene a meeting with developers along with UD, FM, and the Revenue department to understand their concerns and consider reducing the premiums and permission fees. But at the same time, I would also request developers to consider construction of low-cost housing to ensure that housing is for all in the true sense, Save stated at an event. A reduction in premiums is expected to alleviate the burden on homebuyers, boost tax revenue for the government, and ultimately bolster Mumbai's economy for sustained growth. Boman Irani, President of CREDAI, highlighted the substantial hindrance that exorbitant premiums pose to the city's comprehensive economic progress. He emphasized the need to address this challenge to ensure Mumbai's continued growth and prosperity. On average, real estate projects in Mumbai incur approval costs through various premiums, amounting to Rs 54,221 per square meter. Developers point out that this figure is nearly 25 times higher than premiums charged in Delhi-NCR, 50 times more than in Hyderabad, and 47 times greater than in Bengaluru for residential real estate projects. Between 2000 and 2023, Hyderabad experienced a remarkable 36-fold increase in GDP, while Delhi and Bengaluru exhibited impressive 29-fold and 27-fold GDP growth, respectively. In contrast, Mumbai's GDP growth remained relatively modest, growing only 10-fold over the same period, as per CREDAI-MCHI's comparative analysis. The study emphasised the success of a reduction in premiums implemented in 2021, which contributed an additional Rs 120 billion in government revenue. The difference in growth underscores the economic expansion gap between Mumbai and other cities, with Hyderabad surpassing Mumbai's growth by 2,683 per cent, while Delhi and Bengaluru also outpaced it by significant margins. The study also highlighted a significant difference in the average price per square foot for apartments in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region compared to Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru, discouraging professionals seeking affordability and safety in Mumbai. The city's growth trajectory has been hindered by various factors, including urbanization constraints and prohibitively high real estate prices, whereas Hyderabad, Delhi, and Bengaluru have harnessed their strengths to fuel rapid economic expansion.