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By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 7:24:18 pm

CIDCO struggles to find takers for its homes

Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation’s (CIDCO) latest housing scheme has exposed a recurring challenge for the planning authority: finding buyers for its large housing inventory despite its affordable-housing focus. The August 2026 scheme offered 4,793 homes in Taloja, Kharghar and Kalamboli and received 4,180 confirmed applications before bookings closed on September 3. While CIDCO described the response as strong, 613 homes—nearly 13 per cent of the inventory—had no...

CIDCO struggles to find takers for its homes

Mumbai: The City and Industrial Development Corporation’s (CIDCO) latest housing scheme has exposed a recurring challenge for the planning authority: finding buyers for its large housing inventory despite its affordable-housing focus. The August 2026 scheme offered 4,793 homes in Taloja, Kharghar and Kalamboli and received 4,180 confirmed applications before bookings closed on September 3. While CIDCO described the response as strong, 613 homes—nearly 13 per cent of the inventory—had no confirmed applicant. This follows earlier schemes with similar gaps. In January 2025, CIDCO’s ‘My Preferred Home’ scheme, offering around 26,000 homes across Navi Mumbai, attracted 1.36 lakh initial applications. However, only about 55,000 applicants paid the registration fee and around 22,000 deposited the required earnest money, leaving serious participation below the number of homes offered. A CAG-linked report on two CIDCO housing schemes in Kharghar found that, of 4,814 saleable tenements, allotment letters had been issued to 3,733 applicants and possession handed over to 3,317. Four years after the draw, 1,081 tenements remained unsold. CIDCO has also faced scrutiny over marketing expenditure. In 2023, reports questioned the appointment of private agencies to market and allot PMAY homes, stating that the agencies had received advances of more than Rs 100 crore before sales took place. CIDCO officials said external support was necessary given the scale of the programme. The scale of investment adds to the concern. CIDCO’s mass-housing programme envisaged 68,515 homes at an estimated cost of around Rs 15,300 crore. A 2024 report noted that thousands of completed homes were awaiting sale, locking up capital and increasing the authority’s financial burden. The latest homes are located in Taloja Sector 39, Kalamboli Bus Depot and Kharghar Bus Depot. Taloja accounts for 4,229 homes, followed by 257 in Kalamboli and 293 in Kharghar. Indicative prices range from around Rs 23.50 lakh in Taloja to Rs 37.70 lakh in Kalamboli and Rs 43.50 lakh in Kharghar. The figures point to a possible mismatch between what CIDCO considers affordable and what its target buyers can finance. Industry experts have noted that EWS homes priced at Rs 25 lakh or more may be difficult for households within the prescribed income ceiling, particularly after registration, stamp duty, floor-rise charges and other costs. Location may also influence demand. Taloja has seen rapid development and improved connectivity, including metro access, but buyers continue to weigh its distance from established employment centres and social infrastructure, as well as commuting costs. CIDCO maintains that its housing programme meets a genuine need in Navi Mumbai. Ashwin Mudgal, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, CIDCO, said, “The overwhelming response to the housing scheme reflects the aspirations of citizens to own a home in Navi Mumbai and their continued confidence in CIDCO’s planned development initiatives. CIDCO remains committed to providing affordable and quality housing opportunities in well-planned locations, enabling citizens to benefit from the region’s growing infrastructure and connectivity.” The authority has also highlighted the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U) subsidy, under which eligible beneficiaries can receive Rs 2.5 lakh, subject to applicable guidelines and eligibility criteria. However, the repeated unsold inventory suggests that CIDCO’s challenge extends beyond construction. Pricing, apartment configurations, location, payment flexibility and connectivity may need to be reassessed before further public resources are committed.

BJP's Gen-Z Power Play

Forty-five-year-old Nitin Nabin formally takes charge as party’s youngest president

New Delhi: In a historic move since the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) formation, 45-year-old youth leader Nitin Nabin has been elected unopposed as the party's 12th national president. In handing the reins to Nabin, the BJP has reaffirmed its commitment to a developed India by 2047 through the vigor of young energy.


On Tuesday, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former president J.P. Nadda, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, and Amit Shah, Nabin formally assumed charge at the BJP headquarters in New Delhi during the organization's foundation day celebrations. With the responsibilities now squarely on his young shoulders, Nabin faces an immediate litmus test in the upcoming assembly elections across five states.


Giant Leap

By appointing its youngest-ever national president, the BJP has taken a giant leap in Indian politics, channeling youth power toward building a developed India. This contrasts sharply with Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi's repeated calls to Gen Z to rally against the Modi government and BJP-efforts that yielded no success, whether in the Bihar assembly polls or the recent Lok Sabha elections. Despite Congress projecting the 55-year-old Gandhi as a youth icon, even posters in his Rae Bareli parliamentary constituency ahead of a rally depicted him in an Indian cricket team jersey alongside Akhilesh Yadav, branding Gandhi as "Team India captain" to target young voters.


The BJP's bold choice has rattled opposition parties while signaling a generational shift within its ranks, rallying young talent to shape India's future. However, Nabin must prove his mettle as an organizational leader. Assembly elections loom in West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry-states where, barring Assam, the BJP confronts stiff challenges. Nabin's biggest test lies in securing victories for the BJP in West Bengal and Tamil Nadu, where regional parties dominate and the BJP struggles against entrenched dominance.


At the event, Prime Minister Modi accused infiltrators of plundering the nation, asserting that India will never accept them. The BJP has spotlighted demographic changes driven by infiltrators in West Bengal and Assam as key issues. Modi also hailed the BJP-NDA's wins in recent municipal elections in Maharashtra and Kerala. Underscoring the party's culture, he remarked: "People think Modi became chief minister at such a young age and has been head of government for the past 25 years. But above all, I am a karyakarta (worker). I accept that Nitin ji is my "Boss" now. I've submitted my report card, and he will evaluate my work."


Modi emphasized that the BJP is more than a party, it's a Sanskar (value system), a family where "membership" transcends into deep "relationships." He described it as a tradition driven not by positions but by processes: "Here, assuming office is a system, but responsibilities last a lifetime. Presidents change, but ideals don't. Leadership evolves, but direction remains steadfast."

 

In his address, Nabin urged youth to enter politics, echoing PM Modi's call on August 15, 2024, for young people to join public life. "Distance from politics isn't the solution-active participation is," he said. "But politics isn't a shortcut or a 100-meter sprint; it's a long marathon testing stamina, not speed. We must strengthen our roots and bat steadily on the political pitch." Defining politics as sadhana (devotion) rather than power, he added: "In our party, politics is not about wielding power but practice; not indulgence but sacrifice; not luxury but penance; not a position but accountability."

 

Nitin Nabin and PM Modi's speeches signal the BJP's intent to harness youth power alongside the organization to build a developed India, mounting a direct challenge to Rahul Gandhi's Gen Z appeals.

 

• Outpacing Rahul's Gen-Z Calls, BJP Bets Big on Youth Marathon for Viksit Bharat

• I accept that Nitin ji is my "Boss" now. I've submitted my report card, and he will evaluate my work.: PM Modi

• Nabin urged youth to enter politics, echoing PM Modi's call on August 15, 2024, for young people to join public life. "Distance from politics isn't the solution-active participation is needed," he said.

 


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