If the Narendra Modi government meets its ambitious housing target, by 2022, when independent India celebrates its 75th Independence Day, every Indian family should have a house of its own. To this end urban and rural India initiatives are being framed even before the new government takes charge. The numbers are mind blowing – 20 million in urban India and 45 million housing units in rural India – creating an enabling framework for participatory action from public, private , community and individual sectors.
V Suresh, one of the crack team that drafted India’s first Housing and Habitat Policy in 1998 as the then Chairman and Managing Director of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO), believes it is possible to make Mission Housing for All a reality. He believes that the Government of India needs to provide the right enabling housing policy framework, removing the various regulatory road blocks, providing fiscal incentives and support mechanisms.
It also requires increased access to all resources for making Housing for All a reality – land, building materials and technologies at affordable costs, user friendly finance and supportive infrastructure (utility, social and commercial). He also cautions that in addition to the supportive planks that the Central Government can give, it is also necessary to get the State Governments equally interested and brought on the same page to launch prioritised policies, programmes, action plans and projects.
Putting all these on a mission mode is important, says Suresh. That ensures committed resources, time framework and brings everybody as partners in the action. From the consumer, to builder, to urban development agencies and the Central and State policy makers and infrastructure supporting agencies, all work towards a common goal. More so as housing is a state subject and each state would also need the housing action plan. From the statements made so far, it seems like the Prime Minister wants to have close ties with all state governments.
So why is housing a great place to begin the economic reconstruction? “The GDP contribution will notch up from 7 to 12 per cent with this Housing and Infrastructure initiative at the all-India level (urban and rural). It will bring to life lakhs of manufacturing and production units covering over 250 industries (village, small, medium and large), supplying building materials and components and fittings. More importantly, it will contribute to the largest employment generation of 25 million men and women construction workforce with over 65 trades.
“By the time we achieve this in eight years India’s population would be 142 crore and counting. We are adding at the rate of 2 crore each year with more than 50 per cent of all new growth happening in cities,” Suresh says.
Having been in this sector for over five decades and as the Vice Chairman, NBC of India, and Chairman, Housing Sectional Committee, BIS, Suresh says in a freewheeling interview with Magicbricks Bureau, the National Building Code of India 2005 is an inclusive document for housing covering the needs of the rural and urban areas and more importantly the needs of the weaker section, low, middle and high income housing. Most of the building byelaws and development control rules and planning standards cater only to the needs of the middle and high income population (30 per cent housing needs leaving out the 70 per cent).
Having been associated with the national and state housing policy initiatives, Suresh drew up for us a special enabling action plan to make the dream of Housing for All a reality. Here are the highlights -
1) Resource inputs: Land as a resource, especially in urban areas for social, efficient and optimum use of land. To cope with the doubling of the urban population the urban land footprint also needs to grow from the current 4 per cent to 7-8 per cent and use land in an efficient and optimum manner by creating land assembly with infrastructure. This is where the dream of the 100 new cities and towns along planned industrial and economic corridors and satellite cities will be important. It also requires the Floor Area Ratio to grow from the abysmally low 1.5-2, to 8-10 as in many other all Asian cities.
2) Fast track approvals: Building regulation to govern housing and bring it in line with the NBC with incremental housing.
3) Bring down building construction costs which are today growing at 50 per cent more than inflation to create affordable housing .
4) Affordable housing finance.
5) Basic Infrastructure: Water supply, 100 per cent sanitation with disposal system, potable water, energy and connectivity of roads. Social infrastructure – health, education, recreation and culture.
6) Building materials and technologies.
E Jayashree Kurup, Magicbricks Bureau
E Jayashree Kurup is the head of content and research wing of Magicbricks.com.
