Summary of this article
MHADA to audit over 13,000 old Mumbai buildings
Safety checks planned ahead of 2026 monsoon season
Audits to decide repair versus redevelopment needs
Mumbai’s housing landscape is about to undergo one of the most extensive safety reforms in decades. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is now preparing to conduct audits of around 13,091 cessed buildings in the city, as stated by a report by Hindustan Times. It has been noted that these constructions pose a significant risk to residents and passers-by alike. This audit comes as a way to safeguard individuals occupying these buildings before the monsoon season begins in 2026, since every year these properties experience damage.
The ‘cessed’ label is given to those buildings that were constructed before 1969 in areas of South and Central Mumbai. Tenants of these buildings pay a special cess to MHADA, which is intended for repairs and maintenance. Over the decades, low rents and limited investments have run down these buildings. Some of these buildings are even more than 80 years old, and only a fraction of them have undergone thorough inspections and repair procedures. With annual rainfalls, most of these structures experience partial collapses, highlighting the deficiencies in the structure and the approach taken by the authority.
City-Wide Structural Audit
This time around, the MHADA authority plans to move beyond the limited survey and inspection in the city. The Mumbai Building Repairs and Reconstruction Board (MBRRB) is MHADA’s helping arm in this procedure. MBRRB is responsible for structural safety and reconstruction of these cessed buildings. The Board is expected to float bids and appoint consultants from agencies to complete the safety development of these areas. The exercise is likely to cost around Rs 40 crore as per the report, estimating around Rs 90,000 per building, depending on their size and the complexity of repairs. The board will also prioritise buildings giving clear signs of weakness.
In the past years, MHADA’s monsoon inspection has flagged 96 buildings as “too dangerous to live in.” This leads to the relocation of tenants. With this new approach, the number of redevelopment buildings is going to rise. The inspection is going to determine whether the building requires repair or just redevelopment.
Challenges To Redevelopment
Once the audit reports are completed, MHADA is expected to push towards redevelopment under Section 79(A) of the MHADA Act. The provisions under this section empower MHADA to look after the redevelopment and repairs of these cessed buildings even if they are owned privately. The audit outcomes will be critical in evening out the process further. Procedures like these take unnecessary delays as well, considering occupants don’t have immediate alternatives to move in.
Taking on this responsibility of auditing over 13,000 buildings is going to be a major technical and financial challenge, not just for the occupants. As Mumbai moves ahead to prepare for the next monsoon, the structural audit is a very promising step towards shaping the city’s approach to old housing.
