The state government’s urban development department has drafted an inclusive housing policy which will ensure affordable houses for everyone.
The state government’s urban development department (UDD) has drafted an inclusive housing policy which will ensure affordable houses for everyone and may even bring down the skyrocketing realty prices. Weaker sections of society will be major beneficiaries of the scheme which is part of the Rajiv Gandhi Avas Yojana.
According to the draft, developers constructing residential buildings on plots measuring 21,528 sq ft must compulsorily reserve 20%-25% flats as affordable houses. Another 10% flats measuring 400 sq ft to 600 sq ft must be reserved for people from the middle-income group. Flats for the economically weaker sections will be 300 sq ft to 400 sq ft in space.
“Amalgamation of flats will not be allowed if the beneficiary has obtained flats under the said scheme. The basic purpose of the scheme is to provide houses to every needy person,” said TC Benjamin, UDD principal secretary.
“Once the building is developed, the developer must hand over the said percentage of houses to the government. In return, we will give additional FSI in the ratio of the flats given. Maharashtra is the first state to implement the inclusive housing scheme in the country,” Benjamin told DNA.
“It will be a win-win situation for developers and the government. We hope the innovative scheme will fulfil the housing needs of the state,” said a government official.
It is alleged that unlike Manhattan in New York, urban planners in Mumbai did not design and utilise the island-city land properly. Poor land management restricted the growth of the city, resulting in exorbitant property rates and uncontrolled growth of slums.
In 1970, the slum population in Mumbai was just 17%; it is over 60% now. Wrong government policies and a nexus between government officials, politicians and developers meant that not a single policy was introduced to rectify the errors.
Some policies proposed were not implemented successfully resulting in scarcity of houses and land. As a result, property rates shot up astronomically. But now there is hope with the new policy.
“If a large number of affordable houses are available in the market, flat prices will surely come down,” said a real estate expert.
The builders too are happy with the government’s initiative. “We are with the government if maximum people are likely to benefit from the policy. I have yet to see the draft, but I assure my support to the government for any good cause,” said Paras Gundecha, president of Maharashtra Chamber of Housing Industry.
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