The revamped Manora MLA hostel in Mumbai is scheduled to be ready by March 2028, Maharashtra public works department minister Shivendraraje Bhonsale said after reviewing construction work on the long-delayed replacement facility.
The new Manora MLA hostel will comprise two high-rise towers of 40 and 28 storeys, with accommodation for all 288 members of the state legislative assembly and 78 members of the legislative council. Each legislator will receive a compact one-bedroom flat of about 600 sq ft, along with an additional 400 sq ft area planned as dormitory accommodation for visitors, officials said.
The project will have a total built-up area of around 7.75 lakh sq ft and direct connectivity to the Metro 3 corridor, according to officials. The Metro 3 link is expected to connect the hostel to Mumbai’s wider public transport network, although the supplied details do not specify the design or operational arrangements for the connection.
Construction is being undertaken by Larsen & Toubro under an Engineering, Procurement and Construction model. The contract covers the project from design through handover and includes six months of transitional operation and maintenance after the facility is completed, officials said.
The planned complex will include a basement, six levels of parking and a podium at the seventh level. The two towers will be connected by bridges on the 15th, 22nd and 29th floors. Officials said the lower two connecting bridges would remain open on the sides in accordance with fire safety norms, while the amenity area would be located at the level of the highest connecting bridge.
The redevelopment follows the demolition of the earlier Manora MLA hostel after it became dilapidated. With the old facility no longer available, legislators attending sessions have been accommodated through a combination of alternative rooms and allowances.
Officials said about 130 legislators had been given one room each at the Akashwani MLA hostel and the Old Vidhan Bhavan MLA hostel in Colaba. These legislators are also being paid a monthly allowance of Rs 50,000. Members who have not been provided even one room are being paid a hostel allowance of Rs 1 lakh per month.
The state government has spent more than Rs 100 crore on rent to provide accommodation to legislators since the Manora hostel was pulled down, according to the report. The next stated milestone is completion and handover of the replacement hostel by March 2028, subject to the project proceeding according to the approved plan and applicable norms.
