MHADA Pune lottery for 4,462 homes draws 3.01 lakh applications after deadline extended thrice

The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) Pune board had to extend the last date for applications to its lottery for 4,462 homes not once or twice, but three times. Lakhs of people were looking to the lottery in the hope of fulfilling the dream of owning a home, but hurdles in the application process caused them considerable trouble. Registration and sale of applications finally ended on October 31.

Though the process is complete, the technical problems during it have raised questions about MHADA's planning. Several applicants have expressed anger over the authority's functioning.

The Pune board has put up these homes for the lottery under the 15 per cent integrated and 20 per cent inclusive housing schemes. The application process began on August 24. Applicants faced various hurdles from the start. Then, between October 16 and 20, the MahaIT system went down, bringing the verification of documents to a halt. This wasted applicants' time and forced the board to extend the date a third time. Ordinary citizens trying to get a home bore the brunt of the lapses in planning.

As of October 30, a total of 3,01,586 applications had been filed. Of these, 2,45,232 applicants submitted applications along with the deposit amount. There is thus intense competition among lakhs of people for 4,462 homes. After document verification and payment of the deposit are completed, the number of applicants is likely to remain above 2.5 lakh.

The response to the Pune board's lottery has grown steadily over the past three years. In 2024, more than 71,642 applications were received for 3,662 homes. In 2025, 2,15,847 applications were filed for 4,186 homes. In 2026, 3,01,586 people have registered for 4,462 homes. Of them, 2,45,232 applicants have confirmed their applications with the deposit amount.

This year has seen the highest registrations of the past three years, which clearly shows that people's inclination towards MHADA homes is steadily growing.