Mumbai OC Amnesty Scheme Faces Hurdles: Tardeo's Willington Heights Residents Unable To Apply, Only 4 Societies Succeed

Mumbai's OC Amnesty Scheme, introduced last year, is struggling to benefit residents of Willington Heights CHS, a 34-story high-rise in Tardeo. The building's top 17 floors were vacated after a court order, which triggered the BJP government to announce the scheme. However, Willington Heights residents are facing significant hurdles in applying for the OC Amnesty Scheme.

The main issue lies with the BMC's AutoDCR website, which does not allow buildings with a partial OC to apply, while individual resident applications are also not being processed. Despite the BMC issuing guidelines on September 8, 2026, stating that individual applications were now possible, the scheme's implementation has been marred by technical glitches.

Satish Mehta, a Willington Heights resident, expressed frustration over the situation. "If the BMC was not ready with its system, why did it come out with the SOP and guidelines? Since the policy is officially implemented from September 8, we are also losing time to apply within six months to get our 100% penalty waived off."

The OC Amnesty Scheme was sanctioned by the state UDD in December 2025 and approved by the BMC general body in August 2026. It aims to benefit around 20,000 buildings in Mumbai without occupation certificates (OC). However, the scheme is limited to buildings falling under the BMC's jurisdiction, making it difficult for buildings with developers who are absconding or involved in litigation to benefit.

Technical and administrative issues continue to hinder the scheme's implementation. The BMC has written to the state UDD for relaxation in norms, but the state agencies SRA and MHADA have yet to provide their own SOPs and guidelines. This delay in clarification has created confusion among residents and developers alike.