TN to earmark land for affordable homes for weaker sections

C Shivakumar
Chennai:
The dream of owning a house in the urban area by economically weaker sections could materialise soon as
Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority and Directorate of Town and Country Planing will be earmarking lands for affordable housing in their Master Plans by 2018-19.

This comes after States and Union territories have been directed by the Centre to prepare or amend the Master Plans earmarking land for Affordable Housing.

It is learnt that CMDA and DTCP will also have to work towards relaxing the development control regulation norms, height and setback requirements of the building. There would also be relaxation in Floor Space Index restriction for slum re-development low cost housing.

“This is being made mandatory under the Housing for All (Urban) Mission, which was launched by the Union government on June 25 to provide Central assistance to the states for providing house to all eligible urban economically weaker sections and low income group families before 2022.

It is learnt that the state is preparing a list of beneficiaries in 666 statutory towns includig 31 Class-I cities in the state which will be covered in phases based on slum population starting with 12 corporations.

As per the Census figures, the state has a total of 16.24 lakh  urban slum households of which 7.53 lakh households live in the 12 corporations. The state currently requires an additional 12.94 lakh homes to be provided to urban poor of which 6.72 lakh is required in the 12 corporations. 

But the bigger challenge is the identification of the beneficiaries. The Centre has laid down guidelines which state that the beneficiary family will comprise husband, wife unmarried sons or unmarried daughters and they should not own a pucca house.

Since, the beneficiary need to be a resident of urban area, a cut off date is also being worked out which is likely to be by the end of May, 2015.

While the Centre is backing construction of houses upto 30 square metre carpet area with basic civic infrastructure, the state has the flexibility to determine the size of dwelling units.

As per the Mission, the houses constructed should be in the name of female head of the household or in the joint name. The annual income limit for beneficiary under the economic weaker section is being worked out to upto Rs 3 lakh per year while the beneficiary under low income group is worked out at Rs 3 lakh to Rs 6 lakh per year.

Factfile:

                    Cities   Slum households   Homes required
1. Corporations         12         7.53           6.72
2. Municipal Towns     124        4.68           3.75
3. Town Panchayats     528        4.00           2.45
4. Cantonment Boards     2        0.03           0.02
   Total                        666       16.24          12.94

Housing Units Constructed by Government Agencies in Tamil Nadu since their inception

Name of the organisation                                  Beneficiaries         No of units
1. TN State Cooperative Housing Federation      Public                11,65,000
2. Tamil Nadu Housing Board                            Public               3,79,582
                                                                  Govt Servants           29,141
3. TN Slum Clearance Board                     Slum Dwellers         2,86,000
   Total                                                                                    18,59,273