Hundreds of homebuyers formed a human chain in Vashi on Tuesday, demanding a reduction in CIDCO home prices for which the lottery was held last month. The agitation, led by the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena’s (MNS) Navi Mumbai unit, was driven by allegations that CIDCO’s homes under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) remain unaffordable for ordinary citizens due to inflated pricing.
The demonstration began at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Chowk, where protesters held placards with slogans such as “Lower CIDCO’s home prices” and “Affordable housing should be a reality, not just a dream.” Braving the scorching heat, thousands of participants voiced their frustration over CIDCO’s pricing policies.
Protesters argued that while CIDCO initially received 1.52 lakh applications for the housing lottery, exorbitant prices led to a drastic drop, leaving only 22,000 applicants. They further claimed that nearly 7,000 applicants were pressured into accepting homes. Complaints also surfaced about CIDCO allegedly misleading buyers by advertising 322 sq. ft. units but delivering only 290 sq. ft. homes. Additionally, protesters questioned CIDCO’s ₹700 crore marketing expenditure, arguing that these funds should have been used to lower housing costs.
Highlighting pricing disparities, demonstrators pointed out that while MHADA offers 500 sq. ft. homes in Kurla for ₹50 lakh, CIDCO is charging ₹80 lakh for 300 sq. ft. homes in Navi Mumbai. They also reminded authorities of CIDCO chairman Sanjay Shirsat’s pre-election promise to reduce prices by 20–25%, a commitment that remains unfulfilled.
As tensions escalated, protesters demanded an immediate halt to payment collections until prices are revised. Gajanan Kale, president and spokesperson of MNS’s Navi Mumbai unit, announced plans to send mass postcards to CIDCO officials and warned of a “Jail Bharo” movement if their concerns remain unaddressed. He further declared that if CIDCO fails to act, MNS will escalate its agitation with an “Injection Morcha” at CIDCO Bhavan.
