The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : Workshop throws up several proposals to make housing affordable

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Tuesday, Oct 07, 2008
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

Workshop throws up several proposals to make housing affordable

Staff Reporter

It was organised as part of the World Habitat Day celebrations

— Photo: R.Shivaji Rao

Planning: Anna University Vice-Chancellor Mannar Jawahar (left) with former senior human settlements officer, UN-HABITAT, L.M. Menezes, at a workshop in Chennai on Monday. SUSTAIN Trustee G. Dattatri and Dean, School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University Monsingh D. Devadas, are also in picture.

CHENNAI: Led by a senior official of the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority, speakers at a workshop here on Monday came up with many proposals for affordable housing, including one in which builders creating housing facilities for the under-privileged getting relaxation in some norms.

Speaking at the workshop on affordable housing organised as part of the World Habitat Day celebrations, CMDA Member Secretary Vikram Kapoor suggested creation of a market for buyers and sellers with the ‘Transfer of Development Rights’ documents as currency. Using the vouchers provided by the government to them, the identified slum dwellers could approach a builder to construct a house/apartment for them. In turn, the builder would be provided relaxation in a few norms, including the Floor Space Index.

The workshop was organised by UN-HABITAT Information Office, Citizens Alliance for Sustainable Living (SUSTAIN), Centre for Human Settlements, Anna University, Chennai and the Tamil Nadu regional chapter of the Institute of Town Planners. The problem of affordable housing should not be attributed merely to demand and supply since there was a speculative component too, Mr.Kapoor said.

Former senior human settlements officer, UN-HABITAT L.M. Menezes said: “The goal of affordable housing demands autonomous, competent and vibrant local bodies. Despite the 74th amendment to the Constitution of India, the issue of affordability of housing indicates the failure in governance,” he added.

Experts who participated in the workshop urged the Government of India to confer infrastructure status on housing in order to improve investment.

“Affordable cost housing (ACH) as a self-sustainable model has attained significance on account of the sub-prime lending crisis in the U.S.,” said B.Baskara Rao, Executive Director, Centre for Symbiosis of Technology and Management.

“Increase in income and decline in size of household in the coming two decades will cause a spurt in housing needs,” he added.

“Government policies are responsible for making land unaffordable even for the upper middle class. The 100 per cent Foreign Direct Investment in land also contributes to spiralling land prices,” said M.G. Devasahayam, Managing Trustee, SUSTAIN.

The recommendations of the workshop included implementation of rental housing schemes for the urban poor, large-scale urban renewal and redevelopment programmes on self-financing and cross-subsidised principle and adoption of planned slum concept.

The experts also recommended that Development Control Rules be made more simple and transparent to facilitate expeditious processing and disposal of files.

Efforts must be taken to make developed land affordable. The government should rope in private players with incentives involving FSI relaxation, stamp duty and development charges reduction. The recommendations also included revival of affordable land development programmes such as ‘guided urban development’ and ‘sites and services’ scheme.

Pre-fabricated houses were suggested by some experts to address the issue. “Abnormal development of the city without inclusive growth will lead to social problems,” said Mannar Jawahar, Vice-Chancellor, Anna University.

Mathew Joseph, Senior General Manager, HDFC, Suresh Kuppuswamy, Director, Centre for Human Settlements, Anna University, G. Dattatri, Trustee, SUSTAIN, and Monsingh D. Devadas, Dean, School of Architecture and Planning, Anna University spoke.

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