Shinde’s principal adviser appointed as MahaRERA chairman

Mumbai: Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde’s principal adviser Manoj Saunik will be the new chairman of Maharashtra Real Estate Regulatory Authority (MahaRERA). Mr. Saunik, who is former chief secretary of Maharashtra, will replace the veteran bureaucrat Ajoy Mehta, whose term is expiring on September 20 of this year. Maharashtra Housing Department has issued an order in this regard.

An IAS officer of 1987 batch, Mr. Saunik had retired on December 31, 2023. A senior official said that former chief secretary of Maharashtra Nitin Kareer and Mumbai Port Trust chairman Rajiv Jalota were also in the race for the MahaRERA chief’s post. However, the CM has approved Manoj Suanik’s name for the powerful housing authority.

A three member high-level search committee led by Justice Atul Chandurkar had shortlisted the names of Suanik, Kareer and Jalota. The committee had submitted the report to the state government. “It is a prerogative of the chief minister to pick one name from three names submitted by the search committee. Thus, he has selected Saunik name’s for the Apex Housing body,” the senior official said.

After retiring as Maharashtra Chief Secretary, Saunik was appointed principal adviser to Eknath Shinde. Saunik’s wife Sujaya Saunik was recently appointed the first female chief secretary of Maharashtra.

“Ajoy Mehta will be superannuating on September 20. Manoj Saunik will take charge on the same day in the evening. Manoj will get a tenure of around 4.3 years,” the officials said quoting the order of the Housing department.