There's good news for cooperative housing societies in Maharashtra and the people residing in them. The state cooperation department has put into place a new fully digital system for applying for deemed conveyance, finally giving an overhaul to how rights over land are processed and granted.
The new portal, named PRATYAY MahaBhumi, was officially inaugurated earlier this month by Devendra Fadnavis, the chief minister. The system is supposed to enable over 70,000 eligible housing societies across the state to complete the entire deemed conveyance process online, from application to certification, without stepping into a government office, as per a report by Times of India.
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"This is a game-changer for housing societies. There will be no need for citizens to make repeated trips to government offices. The system ensures faster, transparent decisions," said Kiran Sonawane, Deputy Registrar at the department's headquarters, the report added.
According to the state cooperation department, the move is part of a larger e-governance push designed to streamline quasi-judicial processes under the Maharashtra Cooperative Societies Act. The online system will manage document uploads, scrutiny, hearing schedules, and issuance of the final order, all through the same platform, as per the report.
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Six-Month Deadline
Under the revised framework, the entire conveyance procedure, from verification of documents to issuance of the final certificate, must be completed within six months. Hearings, though primarily digital, may still be held offline when necessary.
State Cooperation Commissioner Deepak Taware noted in an official circular, "The PRATYAY platform, Paperless Revision and Appeal in Transparent Way, is a key element of our digital transformation. This move is supposed to escalate legal procedures, increase transparency, and streamline the process online.
Departmental officials have notified that physical documents will no longer be accepted. All communication, including notices for hearings, will be handled electronically.
There are 1.25 lakh cooperative housing societies in Maharashtra, yet 78,116, roughly 62 per cent, lack deemed conveyance, meaning they have no legal ownership of the land on which their buildings are built. This legal vacuum hindered redevelopment, repairs, and even access to bank loans tied to property ownership, the report added.
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The deemed conveyance provision was added to the Maharashtra Ownership Flats Act in 2008, with supporting rules notified in 2010. Yet, progress has been painfully slow due to bureaucratic delays and complex documentation requirements, the report added.
It has been observed that many societies have either failed to initiate the process or abandoned it midway. The absence of a legal land title leaves societies at the mercy of builders or landowners, even decades after project completion, as per the report.
