Shiv Sena worker bags 2 flats worth Rs 5 crore each in Mhada lottery

Mumbai: Buying a house in the megapolis is everyone's dream, but very few are as lucky as Shiv Sena worker from Agripada, Vinod Shirke, who has bagged two of the costliest apartments in the Mhada lottery.

Results of the lottery conducted by the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) for 1,384 apartments with the price ranging from Rs 14.6 lakh to 5.8 crore were declared on  Sunday. Three costliest flats on offer, in Dhawalgiri building in Grant Road area, were priced at Rs 4.99 crore, Rs 5.13 crore and Rs 5.8 crore.

While Shirke bagged two of these flats priced at Rs 4.99 crore and Rs 5.8 crore, another went to one Akhtar Said Mohammed, as per the results announced by Mhada. Mhada had received over 1.6 lakh applications, of which some 80 were for the three costliest flats.

"As per Mhada rules, if a person wins two flats in the lottery in his name, he has to surrender one to the authority. Now the winner will have to decide which one he wants to surrender," a Mhada official said.

The Tadvi family in Titwala on the outskirts of Mumbai has won three houses, the results showed.

Ramesh Tadvi, his parents and his brother won a house each. As per the rules, the family will be able to keep all three houses.

As many as 989 houses were up for sale under the economically weaker section and lower income group categories, 210 flats under the middle-income group and 194 flats for the higher income group category.

The houses are situated in Antop Hill, Mulund, Sion, Goregaon, Borivali, Kandivali, Dahisar, Powai, Chembur, Cumballa Hills, Charkop, Vikhroli, Lower Parel and Matunga. Among others, the winners also include Mhada worker Samar Pakhare, Maharashtra government employee Trupti Kharat, and one Prajakta Khadye.

Mhada and state government employees have a quota in the lottery, so do journalists, artists and others.

Ever since Mhada came into existence in 1977, it has built around 4.5 lakh affordable housing units. Over the past few years, it raised the prices leading to a significant drop in demand.