BMC to Roll Out Amnesty Scheme for Pending Occupation Certificates

Mumbai, March 12: 

BMC is plans an amnesty scheme that could finally resolve one of Mumbai’s most persistent housing problems: thousands of buildings that still lack an Occupation Certificate. Officials indicate that the proposal may be placed before the civic body’s standing committee within the next few days, with a broader rollout expected by the end of the month.

If approved, the framework would allow housing societies to obtain long-pending Occupation Certificates by paying prescribed charges and regularising certain violations. Applications would be accepted only during a fixed window, and the penalties would vary according to the size of the project, the nature of deviations from approved plans, and the extent of the violations. The broader goal, according to officials, is to ensure that every housing society in the city eventually holds a valid OC.

The proposal will first be reviewed by the standing committee of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation. After that stage, it will be forwarded to the state’s Urban Development Department for final approval before implementation.

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Gopal Shetty, former Member of Parliament from North Mumbai and head of the BJP’s committee on the OC issue, said discussions around the policy have progressed substantially. According to him, civic authorities are working toward launching the scheme before the end of the month. One key question during deliberations was whether commercial units should be included along with residential buildings. Current discussions indicate that the policy may extend eligibility to both categories.

Siddarth Sharma, a BJP corporator and member of the civic body’s law committee, confirmed that the proposal is in its final stage. He said the administration plans to place the policy before the standing committee shortly.

Sharma added that the scheme is expected to give housing societies about one year to apply for Occupation Certificates. During this initial period, applicants may not be charged penalties, allowing many long-delayed cases to be settled without immediate financial burden.

For thousands of property owners across Mumbai who have lived for years without a formal OC, the proposed policy could finally provide a legal pathway to regularise their homes and commercial premises.