Nagpur, Dec 14 (IANS) The week-long Winter Session of the Maharashtra Legislature concluded on Sunday, following which Governor Ramesh Bais prorogued both Houses of the state legislature. Maharashtra Legislative Council Chairman Ram Shinde and Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar announced that the Budget Session of the state legislature will commence from February 23 next year in Mumbai.

Over the seven-day period, the Legislature conducted a total of 72 hours and 35 minutes of business, maintaining an average working time of 10 hours and 22 minutes per day. A total of seven sittings were held during the session. It recorded an overall average attendance of 75.94 per cent among members, with the highest attendance touching 90.98 per cent and the lowest recorded at 43.85 per cent.

During the session, a total of 18 Bills were introduced in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, of which 16 were passed. In the Legislative Council, four Bills were passed. In addition, six Ordinances were tabled before both Houses for legislative approval.

With an eye on the forthcoming elections to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the state government announced a slew of policy decisions during the session.

These included relief measures for around 20,000 buildings in Mumbai lacking Occupancy Certificates (OC), steps to make Mumbai “pagdi-free”, provision of alternative housing within a five-kilometre radius for 25,000 National Park employees, amendments to rules governing the redevelopment of chawls (tenements) on Mumbai’s mill lands, a 10 per cent reduction in prices of houses built by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), and the implementation of the Cluster Redevelopment Scheme for large plots exceeding 50 acres, with 17 projects selected in the first phase.

The Maharashtra Stamp Duty (Second Amendment) Bill, 2025, was passed by both Houses during the session.

The Bill aims to provide relief to the common man in stamp duty-related disputes by offering an easier mechanism for redressal. Under the amended provisions, citizens will be able to appeal directly to the state government in stamp duty matters instead of approaching the High Court.

Further, in a significant move aimed at protecting the interests of flat owners and housing societies, and curbing malpractices by developers who withhold property titles, the Legislature passed amendments to the decades-old Maharashtra Ownership Flats (Regulation of the Promotion of Construction, Sale, Management and Transfer) Act, 1963 (MOFA).

The amendments are intended to address a major legal lacuna concerning conveyance deeds for newer residential projects registered under the Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act (RERA), 2016, thereby strengthening safeguards for homebuyers and cooperative housing societies.

–IANS

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