State firms up new urban housing policy

The state government’s new Urban Housing policy – Urban Housing and Habitat Policy 2011 – prepared by the state Housing and Urban Development department includes new concepts to create land banks and to materialise “affordable housing” and “green housing” in the state.

Sources said the new policy will help the government develop “State Capital Region” on the pattern of the National Capital Region.

To discuss the provisions of the new policy,a high-level meeting headed by Chief Secretary Atul Kumar Gupta with senior officials of Law,Urban Housing,Finance,Public Works department,Tourism,Infrastructure and Industrial Development department took place on Monday evening and now the draft is likely to be placed before the cabinet soon.

According to sources in the government,the new policy is being formulated in such a way that it reflects the “sarvajan hitaye” policy of the BSP government by ensuring affordable housing to the lower-income group and free housing for slum-dwellers on the same land along with the high-end group housing through “land sharing” concept.

So far,the state followed the Urban Housing Policy 1995. “Concepts like land sharing would go a long way in changing the shape of the urban planning. After the Government of India brought its new Urban housing and habitat policy in 2007,states like Punjab,Kerala and Rajasthan also came up with their new policies. Though,UP came out with a new New Township policy last year, we have still been adopting Urban Housing policy of 1995 only. Thus the need was felt to change it in accordance with the present scenario,” said a senior government official.

He added that the emphasis of the new policy would be on “vertical development” and developing “satellite towns”.

In view of the problems related to land acquisition,the concepts of “Land pooling scheme”,“Land sharing”,“Accommodation reservation”,“Transferable development rights” have policy.

“The policy is still under discussion and we hope once implemented,it would change the scenario of even underdeveloped Bundelkhand and eastern regions of the state through satellite towns and knowledge cities,” said a senior government

officer.