Govt plans to merge existing state sponsored urban housing projects

BY  PTI

The government is looking to enable online clearances for housing and other urban development projects.

With the target of providing of providing houses for all by 2022, a new integrated National Housing Mission will be launched soon by merging some of UPA's flagship schemes like JNNURM and Rajiv Awas Yojana.

Noting that the gigantic task of ensuring housing for all needs large scale participation of private developers, Urban Development and Housing Minister Venkaiah Naidu said the Government is committed to promote Public-Private-Partnership and operational hurdles will be removed by making available land required and enabling expeditious clearances.

The Minister said that in consolations with states/UTs and urban local bodies, an effort is being made to enable online clearances for housing and other urban development projects.

"We have experiences of JNNURM, Indira Awas Yojana, Rajiv Awas Yojana, Rajiv Rinn Yojana. There are so many yojana some of them even did not take off," Naidu said at a real estate conference here.

While JNNURM was meant to create urban infrastructure and also affordable housing, Rajiv Awas Yojana, Indira Awas Yojana and Rajiv Rinn Yojana launched with much fanfare were exclusively for providing housing for the needy and economically weaker sections in the society.

Targeting UPA government's flagship programmes, Naidu said Rajiv Rinn Yojana, "inspite of best efforts, could not take off. So after taking over we have studied all these schemes and now the government has decided to merge all schemes into one. It will be National Housing Mission which will be launched soon."

Lamenting the shortage of housing, he said "a decent house is a basic requirement for a dignified living. But even after 67 years of Independence, crores of families do not have proper houses to live which is big challenge before the country. That is why the government has given a clarion call for houses for all by 2022."

Assuring real estate developers all help, Naidu asserted that the proposed Real Estate Regulation Act will not "stifle and strangulate the development of real estate sector but only seeks to protect the interests of the consumers."

While responding to the concerns over excessive regulation of construction sector, Naidu emphasised the need for protection of consumers whose confidence is critical for the growth of the sector.

"Given the deficiencies in the 'Law of Torts', the consumers are finding it difficult to address their grievances as legal remedies are expensive and time consuming."

He said things were not moving as per expectation for many years now.

"The Ministry would consider the suggestion to rename the proposed law as ?Real Estate Facilitation and Consumer Protection Act?," he said.

Naidu said that he is making efforts to enable increased flow of bank finances into real estate sector through various options including that of priority lending. 

Naidu appealed to the private builders to accord priority for affordable housing schemes, saying that "profits are OK but not profiteering".

He suggested a 10-point agenda for the real estate sector to promote affordable and inclusive housing including rental housing for the economically weaker sections and low income groups looking at opportunities at the "bottom of the pyramid" as this sector is viable through larger volumes.

The agenda should include energy efficient, sustainable and aesthetic construction, harnessing solar energy and recycling of water through decentralised Sewerage Treatment Plants, rainwater harvesting and conservation of water bodies, marshy areas, grasslands, boulevards among others.

It should also include transparency and accountability in project implementation, ensuring consumer protection and symmetry of information, skill development of construction workforce and standardisation and professionalization of construction processes.

 
"Make profits but avoid profiteering and engage with central and state governments for promotion of the sector along with ensuring 'Housing for All' by 2022 in the spirit of 'Team India'," he said.

Greater Noida Authority cancels allotment of 1,200 plots

The Greater Noida Authority cancelled allotments of around 1,200 plots on Tuesday on account of non-payment of pending dues by their owners. 

These include 1,173 residential plots in different sectors of the city. Authority officials informed that allotments of 25 industrial plots and 12 institutional plots have also been cancelled.

Officials informed that the authority has taken the extreme step because it is reeling under a huge financial crisis to the tune of over Rs 6,000 crore to a number of banks and financial institutions. Non-payment of dues for several terms by plot allottees has added to the financial burden of the authority.

The cancellations were effected after the allottees failed to pay up three consecutive pending dues against their respective plots despite repeated notices issued by the Greater Noida Authority. Officials said that more cancellations might be effected in the near future as notices are being issued to several other allottees who have goofed up on making timely payments.

All plots, which had been allotted through different schemes by the authority since the year 2009, have been cancelled. Cancellation letters, said officials, have been issued to all allottees losing their plots.

“The cancelled plots will be put up for fresh allotments through a leftover scheme. The details of the scheme are being worked out following which the plots would be put up for sale,” said Manvendra Singh, DCEO, Greater Noida Authority.

Greater Noida Authority intends to raise revenues through the re-allotment of these plots so that debts and loans incurred by it can be cleared. A portion of the revenue so raised would also be used for paying compensation to farmers in lieu of their land in accordance with the Allahabad high court verdict of October 2011.

However, the authority also informed that it would give the first preference to original allottees of these plots to regain their allotments through a restoration process. Allottees would have to clear their pending dues together with penalties. “They will also be required to pay stiff restoration charges for regaining possession of their plots,” added Singh.

New Land Acquisition Law to Kick in From 2014

Come 2014 and a new law will guide all land acquisitions by central or state governments, bringing in stricter norms and increasing landowners’ compensation significantly.

The ministry of rural development plans to notify the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Bill, 2013, commonly referred to as the Land Acquisition Act, with effect from January 1, 2014, little more than two years after it was first introduced in the Parliament. 

“We will notify the Act on January 1,” Jairam Ramesh, the rural development minister, said, adding that the entire process of the new Act coming into force is on the fast track. The ministry has invited comments from the stakeholders over the next 45 days after which these will be published in the official gazette and finalized within 90 days.

The Land Acquisition Act was passed by the Parliament during monsoon session and has already received the assent of the President. The law replaces the Land Acquisition Act of 1894 by establishing new rules for compensation as well as resettlement and rehabilitation. 

The most important feature of the Act is that the developers will need the consent of up to 80% of people whose land is acquired for private projects and of 70% of the landowners in the case of public-private partnership projects.

Besides, it provides for compensation as high as four times than the practice now in rural areas and two times in urban areas. However, industry concerns related to land use have not been addressed in these draft rules because it is a state subject.

“Centre will only come out with suggestive guidelines on issues where it does not have a legislative jurisdiction but these are desirable activity under the Land Acquisition Act,” Ramesh said.

Land acquisitions for factories, roads and housing projects in states like Haryana and Uttar Pradesh have sparked clashes between farmers and state authorities, resulting in huge project delays.

Responding to a proposal from some political leaders on acquisition of only wasteland for industrialization, Ramesh said the ministry has come out with the Wasteland Atlas of India, based on the 2008-09 figures, in association with the Indian Space Research Organization.

Govt aims to provide houses for all homeless

Mr. Ajay Maken, Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, says it is the responsibility of state governments to ensure homes for all citizens

As per Census 2001, total houseless households in the country stood at 0.45 million.  Census of India 2011 data on houseless households has not been released as on date, therefore, estimation of houseless households as of now and its comparison with the number in 2001 cannot be made at this juncture. However ‘Technical Group on Urban Housing Shortage’ has indicated that 0.53 million Households are in homeless condition in urban areas as of 2012.  This information was given by Mr. Ajay Maken, Union Minister of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation (HUPA), in the Rajya Sabha today.

The Minister further stated that Land and Colonisation are State subjects, therefore it is the primary responsibility of State Governments to provide houses/shelters to all citizens. Government of India did not have any scheme for construction of shelters for homeless persons during the Eleventh Five Year Plan. However, in order to complement and supplement the initiatives of State Governments in providing housing for the urban poor, Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation has been implementing following schemes/programmes:

Under Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) with its two components Basic Services to Urban Poor (BSUP) and Integrated Housing & Slum Development Programme (IHSDP), 1.57 million Dwelling Units have been sanctioned as on date.

The scheme of Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) is at a preparatory phase where Slum Free City Planning is being undertaken.

Under Affordable Housing in Partnership Scheme (AHP), 11 projects of 2 States viz., Karnataka & Rajasthan have been sanctioned.

The Interest Subsidy Scheme for Housing the Urban Poor (ISHUP) is meant to facilitate channelization of credit for the urban poor. As on date, 13,485 beneficiaries have been covered under ISHUP.

Under National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM), ‘Shelters for Urban Homeless’ has been proposed to be taken up during Twelfth Five Year Plan. However, since necessary approvals have not been obtained, no time frame for its finalization can be committed at this juncture.

The Minister further stated that given the magnitude of the housing shortage and budgetary constraints of both the Central and State Governments, it is clear that Public Sector efforts will not alone suffice in fulfilling the housing demand. The exact time span to ensure a house to every family in the country cannot be estimated, the Minister added.
Source: By iGovernment Bureau