The Maharashtra government provides quality housing to the urban poor residing in the slum areas of Mumbai. The Maharashtra state government began with a comprehensive slum rehabilitation scheme. After that Government created the concept of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) on 16 December 1995. Further, propertywala shares the things you should know about buying SRA flats of buying SRA flats.

What do you mean by SRA flats?

The concept of Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), was used to provide land as a resource and tenements for the slum residents. SRA also used to sell the extra tenement house in the open market. This scheme is still ongoing through a public-private partnership. The saleable floor space index FSI (or FAR) is used to recover the cost and create interest for the developer. Further, new rehabilitation projects are being developed. Slums have become a common part of Mumbai’s landscape because approx. 60% of the population in the city is located in slums, stated a Mumbai-based real estate consultant, Vipin Nayak. Hence, the Maharashtra Government passed the Maharashtra Slum Areas Act, 1971 to enhance slum dwellers’ standard of living. This Act refers to Improvement, Clearance, and Redevelopment.

Only the slums built before 2011 are eligible for rehabilitation under the rules of the SRA scheme. For the redevelopment of slums, after receiving all the paperwork and receiving permission, the developers shift the dwellers to the transit camps or also give them rent for good and temporary accommodation until the slum is redeveloped.

The developer rebuilds the slum in a new building which is free of charge for all the eligible slum dwellers.

You should know the process of buying an SRA flat in Mumbai:

1. Everyone dreams of buying a house; slum dwellers too. Therefore, SRA Mumbai issued some rules and regulations when it comes to buying/selling SRA Mumbai flats.
2. As per new rules for SRA in Mumbai 2021, according to the Free Press Journal (FPJ), the Maharashtra Cabinet sub-committee has approved a proposal to reduce the time of selling SRA Mumbai flats from 10 years to 3 years. After 3 years of demolition of housing, the SRA Mumbai flats can be sold. As there is a lock-in period on the beneficiary, preventing them from selling the allotted SRA Mumbai flat for 10 years.
3. When the SRA building is sold, the state government is allowed to get a share of the value after 10 years. This is called a transaction fee. This is equivalent to a stamp duty of Rs. 1 lakh.
4. The SRA Mumbai flat can be given to only those who have a domicile certificate. Also, the family should not be allowed to own any other flat within Mumbai’s suburban areas.
5. Any original sellers cannot buy an SRA Mumbai flat.
6. SRA buildings should not belong to these units of buyers who come from economically weaker sections (EWS), the lower-income group (LIG), or the middle-income group (MIG). 
7. No partnership firms or organizations which allowed to purchase SRA flats. The SRA building will be in the name of the husband and wife.

Keep some keys points before buying an SRA Mumbai flat:

1. When you go to buy the SRA Mumbai property, check the title deed of the SRA Mumbai property and ensure that you are buying from the original seller of the property. 
2. To verify the legal documents, consult a property lawyer to verify the SRA Mumbai property documents and title deed.
3. Check whether the owner has a release certificate from the bank or not. 
4. A  duty-stamped sale deed is only a resource to transfer the property to transfer property ownership. 
5. To purchase the SRA Mumbai flat, the buyer and their family members should not own a house within Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits.

How to search for SRA flats schemes online:

If you wish to find or verify any information regarding the SRA scheme in Mumbai, you can go through the following procedure:

1. You have to visit the SRA Public Portal.
2. Search the SRA website for schemes on the given parameters: scheme name, ward name, address, CTS number, village name, developer name, or architect name.

3. Once you look at the desired scheme, click on the ‘Action’ column to view the agreement, IOA, layout, LOI, OC, and registrar details.

The facilities included in SRA Mumbai flats:

To begin the redevelopment process, builders must enter into a tripartite agreement with the slum residents and the respective cooperative housing society. In addition to the agreement, the minimum facilities which a developer must provide on the redeveloped property are listed. 

1. Each floor of the flat will have vitrified tiles.
2. Each flat will have its own separate water and electricity connection.
3. The kitchen of each flat will have a granite/marble platform with a stainless-steel sink and glazed tiles up to the height of 900 mm.

SRA’s Authority:

The SRA is led by the chief executive officer. The chairperson of this organization is the chief minister of Maharashtra. In this organization, there are nine members of the Authority, which includes the state housing minister, urban development minister, commissioner of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai, and the principal secretary of the urban development and housing department. The value of a corporate entity with effect from 3rd January 1997 has been given by SRA. By amendment carried out to the Maharashtra Regional & Town Planning (MR & TP) Act 1966. 

By 2022, the vision and mission of SRA are to make Mumbai slum-free. The government has also launched a GIS portal where citizens and other stakeholders can view the data collected by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).