What Really Happened at the Airport: Sanjeev Jaiswal, Headlines, and the Haste to Assume

When assumptions outpace facts, reputations become collateral. But what if there’s more to the story than a headline?


In July 2023, national headlines briefly lit up with a familiar pattern — a senior IAS officer, an Enforcement Directorate summons, and a whirlwind of speculation. Sanjeev Jaiswal, IAS, then Vice President and CEO of MHADA, was called in for questioning related to the Lifeline Hospital Management Services (LHMS) controversy, a COVID-era contract scam involving Mumbai’s jumbo hospital centres.
To the casual reader, it may have sounded like an open-and-shut story. But those familiar with the workings of public office know that being questioned does not equate to being guilty. It’s part of a broader legal process — one that has not, as of today, proven any wrongdoing on Mr. Jaiswal’s part.
Yet in the era of click-first, confirm-later journalism, nuance is often the first casualty.
 

Meanwhile, on the Ground: A Record That Doesn’t Shout, But Shows

While headlines faded, something more meaningful was unfolding — a series of quiet, citizen-first housing reforms being implemented across Mumbai under Mr. Jaiswal’s leadership at MHADA. These weren’t cosmetic changes. They were systemic interventions aimed at solving some of the city’s most complex urban housing challenges.
Let’s take a look at what was actually happening behind the scenes — not in courtroom speculation, but in policy execution.

Redevelopment of Over 13,000 Cessed Buildings

For years, Mumbai’s Island city has lived under the looming threat of structural collapse. More than 13,000 cessed buildings, many over 60 years old, are in urgent need of repair or demolition.
Instead of pushing files, Mr. Jaiswal’s team launched a citywide outreach campaign, serving formal notices to landlords and tenant societies, invoking Section 79A of the MHADA Act, and laying out clear, time-bound paths for redevelopment:

• 6 months for landlords to initiate proposals
• 6 months for tenant societies, if landlords fail
• MHADA intervention if both fail to act

This isn’t just good governance — it’s a structured model for citizen-led redevelopment.
 

Biometric Verification of Transit Camp Residents

 

Another policy blind spot: transit camps, which were designed to be temporary but became permanent for thousands.
In 2023–2024, MHADA, under Mr. Jaiswal’s guidance, rolled out a biometric survey of transit camp residents using Aadhaar-linked e-KYC. Starting with Sahakar Nagar in Chembur, the initiative:

• Identified rightful tenants
• Filtered out unauthorized occupation
• Linked every family to digital housing records

By bringing transparency to temporary housing, this initiative redefined how the city views transit camps — not as leftovers, but as part of its civic infrastructure.
 

45,000+ Homes Across 7 MHADA Layouts: A Cluster-Led Vision

Redevelopment in Mumbai has often suffered from being too fragmented to succeed. Recognizing this, MHADA under Mr. Jaiswal launched a cluster redevelopment push — targeting 7 major layouts across the city, including:

• Motilal Nagar (Goregaon)
• Abhyudaya Nagar (Parel)
• Adarsh Nagar (Worli)
• GTB Nagar, Bandra Reclamation, and more

The plan aims to construct over 45,000 homes, upgrade civic infrastructure, and streamline processes under the MMR 2030 housing vision.
Unlike legacy delays, these projects were timestamped for execution and publicly tracked.
 

More Than Policy: A Pattern of Reform
 

In each of these interventions, a pattern emerges:

• Use of data over discretion
• Focus on citizen clarity, not bureaucratic fog
• Reliance on existing legal tools, enforced efficiently
• Action that benefits the public, even if it never makes a headline
   

This is the core of what many now refer to as the Sanjeev Jaiswal housing model — reform that doesn’t seek applause, but outcomes.
 

So, What Really Happened?

A question was raised. A bureaucrat appeared, as required. No charges filed. No arrest made. No formal indictment to date.
But while the system asked its questions, the city received answers — in the form of policies that protected homes, lives, and dignity.
This article isn’t a defence. It’s a reminder: not every headline reflects the full picture. Sometimes, the real story is still being written — in streets surveyed, buildings secured, and families restored.