Mumbai News: CREDAI-MCHI, PEATA Urge DCM Eknath Shinde To Restore Access To Online Property, Layout Databases Critical For Construction Approvals
Mumbai: CREDAI-MCHI and the Practising Engineers, Architects and Town Planners Association (PEATA) have urged deputy chief minister and minister of housing Eknath Shinde to immediately restore online access to essential property and layout databases that have recently gone offline.
Digital resources including the Mumbai City Online PRC, MHADA cess details, CS Plans with structure storey data, and updated layout sheets of 114 MHADA layouts were widely used by architects, engineers, developers, and individual property owners to verify details, plan construction, and secure timely approvals.
Urban development professionals have complained that the sudden unavailability of these platforms has created a significant roadblock, pushing users back into lengthy, manual processes and department visits.
Domnic Romell, president of CREDAI-MCHI, said, “For citizens planning to build or renovate homes, and professionals working to ensure compliance and safety, online access to accurate property data is not a luxury but a necessity. Removing these digital tools has taken us a step backwards, slowing down approvals and increasing the burden on both users and government departments.”
In its letter dated April 7, PEATA highlighted the cascading impact of this digital blackout, noting that formerly straightforward tasks now involve delays of 15 to 20 days due to physical verifications. It further pointed out that the layout information still available on the MHADA website is outdated and lacks current prorata and FSI details, which is a critical data for urban planning and construction.
The associations emphasised that the issue affects not only large developers but also middle-class homeowners, architects, and small contractors who depend on efficient access to records for decision-making. The halt in online services has disrupted transparency, slowed down work across the board, and added to the pressure on already stretched public departments, alleged the associations.
CREDAI-MCHI and PEATA have jointly called for the immediate reinstatement and regular updating of these digital platforms, arguing that robust online access is essential for a transparent, citizen-friendly, and efficient urban governance system.
Dhaval Ajmera, secretary of CREDAI-MCHI, said, “A city as dynamic as Mumbai cannot afford to regress to paper-based, department-dependent processes. Digital access empowers both citizens and professionals to engage with the system fairly, efficiently, and transparently.”
Milind Changani from PEATA said, “These sites are very important for professionals as they provide basic data required for conducting project studies, which is crucial for presenting facts to societies and landlords, encouraging them to move forward with redevelopment.”
CREDAI-MCHI said that digitisation of public services is being recognized as a cornerstone of India’s infrastructure and governance reforms. The real estate and planning sectors believe that restoring and enhancing online platforms will support faster, more inclusive development of Mumbai.
CREDAI-MCHI is an apex body comprising members from the real estate Industry in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region with a membership of over 1,800 leading developers.
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