Societies unaware of Maha approving MLA funds for rainwater harvesting & solar systems
Last year, the government allowed housing societies to utilise MLA funds for various development projects including internal road repairs; installation of paver blocks
It has come to light that while the state government has approved the use of local area development funds or MLA funds for the conservation of water and electricity through installation of rainwater harvesting and solar systems in housing societies, several societies are unaware of this opportunity.
Kiran Indalkar, Pune district planning officer (DPDC), said, “The state has approved spending up to ₹50 lakh per society for development works through MLA funds. Societies must contribute 25% of the cost while the remaining 75% will come from the MLA funds. Proper use of these funds can offer significant financial relief, but many societies are unaware about this.”
“MLAs can spend up to ₹50 lakh on a single society and a total of ₹1.5 crore on multiple societies. However, the MLA cannot use these funds again on the same society,” Indalkar said.
Suhas Patwardhan, president, Pune District Housing and Apartments’ Federation, said, “There are around 25,000 registered housing societies in Pune but many are not utilising the MLA funds due to a lack of awareness.” Patwardhan urged all societies to take advantage of this opportunity, saying that it will help address both financial and environmental challenges.
Last year, the government allowed housing societies to utilise MLA funds for various development projects including internal road repairs; installation of paver blocks; construction of jogging tracks, gymnasiums and small parks; and setting up of solar systems along with rainwater harvesting. The move was aimed at reducing the financial burden on societies and promoting environmentally-friendly practices. Furthermore, societies installing rainwater harvesting and solar systems are eligible to receive a 5% property tax discount from the municipal corporation. So far, 20,000 societies have benefitted from the scheme but many more can still avail of these facilities.
Bhimrao Tapkir, MLA from the Khadakwasla constituency, said, “While many societies stand to benefit, this is the first year of the scheme’s implementation and the response has been limited.” Tapkir hailed the solar system installations in some societies as a positive development.
MLA Sunil Tingre from the Wadgaon Sheri constituency said, “Utilisation of MLA funds on societies faces issues such as the need for a three-year audit to ensure proper usage of funds, high GST rates, and a lack of cooperation from government officials. Hopefully, these issues will be resolved over time. However, there is a need to create awareness among societies about the utilisation of MLA funds.”