Representatives of urban poor see forming slum associations and co-operatives and extending incentives to them for in situ development helping in evolving a better model realising the avowed goal of housing for all under Prime Minister’s Awas Yojana (PMAY) rather than public private partnership mode.
While Rajiv Awas Yojana, the UPA government’s housing programme for urban poor, gave top priority to in situ development, slum improvement and tenurial rights to the poor, the present scheme laid more emphasis on PPP mode, says Pragada Vasu, secretary of Association for Urban and Tribal Development.
To pave the way for taking up housing, the government is offering relaxation in floor area ratio and opportunity for commercial development under PPP and the same should be extended to the slum-dwellers to take up housing on their own, he says. The urban housing projects mostly are sought to be taken up under PPP, he says.
AUTD has made a number of suggestions on the PMAY so as to increase the involvement of slum-dwellers in it. PMAY promises houses to all by 2022. For every house a Central subsidy of Rs.1 lakh is assured under the scheme and a subsidy linked loan with the prospective beneficiary paying 6.5 per cent of the interest and 2.5 per cent borne by the government.
Tenurial rigths
The State government has published a final draft of the GO on tenurial rights for poor under RAY but it was not passed by the Assembly.
While the dispensation changed in Andhra Pradesh, PMAY does not talk about tenurial right, Mr. Vasu says.
At a slum on government land abutting the national highway in the city, it is proposed that a private agency be given a part of the land for development while the residents would get flats in G+3 structures.
However, residents are opposing it stating that they would prefer houses on the piece of land their houses are now located as it would give them an opportunity to have two, three portions for subsequent generations in the family.
There are about 200 slums in the city most of them on government land.
As per the housing policy, the local body should prepare and release slum-free city plan and housing for all action plan, he says.
It is estimated that the 10 lakh houses are required for urban poor and economically weaker sections as of now.
PMAY does not talk about tenurial right
Pragada Vasu
AUTD secretary
