Ahead of polls, affordable housing off Chavan’s radar

Govt dilutes norm mandating affordable homes within large realty projects.

Apparently buckling under pressure from the influential builder lobby ahead of Assembly elections, the Prithviraj Chavan government has watered down norms mandating creation of affordable housing stock within all realty projects spread over 4,000 sq metres or more. The norms requiring tenements to be reserved for economically weaker and low income sections in all such housing projects will now not include redevelopment of housing societies.

Claiming that there was an acute paucity of affordable housing stock at its disposal, the state Urban Development Department (UDD) had issued a notification last November, making it mandatory for developers of all construction projects over 4,000 sq m to construct homes of 30 sq m and 50 sq m for economically weaker sections and Low Income Group, respectively, on 20 per cent of the built-up space.

These were to be handed over to the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) for sale through its public lottery process and for use by BMC and state government as transit shelters and staff quarters.

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Diluting this norm now, Chavan has ruled that it would not be applicable for redevelopment of housing societies. The UDD will issue a revised notification before the model code of conduct kicks in to formalise the modification.

This is not the first time that the state government has watered down the norm. It was first introduced with much fanfare by Chavan, ahead of the Mumbai civic body elections in 2012. Ahead of this year’s Lok Sabha polls, in November 2013, Chavan modified the minimum plot size to 4,000 sq metres, making it applicable to fewer projects.

After the Lok Sabha polls, the state government clarified that the norm won’t be applicable for redevelopment of slums, old and dilapidated buildings in the island city, mill lands, MHADA colonies and cluster redevelopment projects, where tenements of such size are already provided for.

Following various modifications, the norm to reserve 20 per cent tenements for affordable housing would now be applicable only for large greenfield construction projects, senior officials said.

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The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) had originally sought waiver of the condition for all projects where 20 per cent of houses constructed are below 80 sq m.

Following CREDAI’s objection, the UDD had proposed to do away with the condition of handing over the tenements to MHADA. It had advocated that the tenements, which could either be built in the same or a separate block in the same building, could be used as service quarters for members of housing societies. The CM eventually decided to leave redevelopment of housing societies completely out of the norm’s ambit.
sandeep.ashar@expressindia.com

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