Mumbai: The swanky new Manora MLA hostel will be ready by March 2028, public works department (PWD) minister Shivendraraje Bhonsale said, after reviewing the work.Officials said that two highrises of 40 and 28 storeys will come up, and legislators will get one-BHK flats. “The new Manora hostel will house all 288 MLAs and 78 MLCs. Each legislator will be allotted a compact one-BHK flat of around 600 sq ft. There will be an extra 400 sq ft area for each flat with dormitory accommodation to house visitors. The total built-up area of the new hostel is around 7.75 lakh sq ft. The new hostel will have direct connectivity to the Metro 3 corridor too,” an official said.“Work is being carried out by L&T under the Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) model. The contract includes the works from design to project handover as well as six months of transitional operation and maintenance after handover. The project will have a basement, six levels of parking and a podium on the seventh level. Both the towers will be connected by bridges on the 15th, 22nd and 29th floors. As per fire safety norms, the lower two connecting bridges will remain open on the sides, while the amenity area has been planned at the highest connecting bridge level. Emphasis has been placed on carrying out all the works as per the approved plan and applicable norms,” officials said.With Manora MLA hostel pulled down after it became dilapidated, legislators had no place to live while attending a legislature session.State govt has spent over Rs 100 crore on rent to provide accommodation to legislators. While there are 288 MLAs in the state legislative assembly, the legislative council has 78 members. Officials said that around 130 legislators were given one room in Akashwani MLA hostel and Old Vidhan Bhavan MLA hostel in Colaba. Apart from this, they are being paid Rs 50,000 a month. The remaining legislators who haven’t been given even one room are paid Rs 1 lakh per month as hostel allowance.
