HDIL to develop rental housing project in Virar

Housing Development & Infrastructure Ltd. (HDIL) said that it has entered in to a joint venture with Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) for development of 525 acre of land under rental housing scheme at Virar. As per the arrangement, the company will develop approximately 13 million square feet for rental space and hand it over to MMRDA free of cost and remaining about 39 million of sq ft space will be available to the company for free sale. But, the Shiv Sena expressed a strong opposition to the scheme terming it a move to separate Mumbai from the state. Reacting to threats by the hardline saffron party, the state government decided to make domicile a compulsory eligibility criterion in the new rental housing project. Reports said that the government would immediately issue orders allowing only those who have resided in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for the last 15 years to avail a rental home under the scheme. Meanwhile, the MMRDA is opposing any such change in the policy.