1.38L APPLY FOR 2,593 APARTMENTS 53 Mumbaikars to fight over each Mhada flat this yr

Mumbai: More than 1.38 lakh prospective buyers submitted their applications for a Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) flat at Axis Bank branches on Thursday, the last day to apply for the 2,593 flats on sale. 

    Mhada officials say the response is overwhelming as compared to 2011. In 2011, with 1.31 lakh applicants vying for 4,034 flats, there were roughly 32 applicants trying their luck for each flat. In 2012, the number 

has almost doubled to roughly 53 applicants per flat, as 1.38 lakh applicants vie for a share of 2,593 flats located at Mira Road, Sion, Kurla, Powai, Charkop and Borivli. The final list of category-wise successful applicants will be declared on May 28-29, after the forms are scrutinized for eligibility. Of the 2,593 flats, 1,726 flats are in Mira Road, while 867 are in Sion, Kurla, Borivli, Powai and Charkop. 

    A majority of the flats belong to the low-income group category and only 172 are for the high-income group. 

    To avoid last year's fiasco, where over 300 applicants had submitted fake addresses, Mhada has this year insisted on applicants submitting address proof and a photocopy of their Permanent Account Number. 

    The lowest range of Mhada houses starts from Rs 15 lakh in Kurla and 19 lakh in Malad for 200 sq ft, plus apartments meant for the low-income groups. Even the most expensive 700 sq ft plus two-bedroom apartments for high-income groups cost Rs 55 lakh in Powai and Rs 57 lakh in Borivli, which is far below the market rate of such houses. 

    In comparison, data of under-construction and ready-tomove-in houses by private developers in Mumbai shows that the least expensive house in Mumbai costs Rs 60 lakh, while the price of an average house is as high as Rs 2.18 crore. 

    The response to the lottery is akin to that witnessed in the past three years. In the year 2010, Mhada sold 5.2 lakh forms for over 3,400 flats, of which 3.28 lakh were deposited at Saraswat Bank branches. Similarly, in 2009, 7.56 lakh forms were sold for over 3,000 flats and of these, 4.33 lakh forms were deposited at the bank. In 2008, 1.89 lakh forms were sold for over 2,000 flats and 65,000 forms were deposited at the bank.