India, Sept. 15 -- In a move that could relieve 25,000 housing societies across Mumbai, the Maharashtra government is set to announce a new policy framework allowing societies to obtain long-pending Occupation Certificates (OC).

The Maharashtra government is working on a detailed resolution (GR), expected in the first week of October, that will spell out the rules and processes for housing societies without an OC. But even before the official policy is released, a few important aspects are becoming clear, offering hope to many homeowners caught in a bureaucratic limbo.

An Occupation Certificate is an essential legal document issued by the municipal corporation that confirms a building has been constructed according to approved plans and...