‘Locked up’ land enough for housing

Mumbai: India should use excess land held by government agencies to meet its goal of providing housing for all by 2022, experts and activists said, as the country struggles with rising conflicts over land for industry, infrastructure and its citizens.

The government recently launched a long-delayed process to sell 2,000 acres (800 hectares) of unused land belonging to unprofitable public sector undertakings (PSUs).

The railways, ports, aviation and defense ministries also hold vast tracts of surplus land.

A portion of this land held by the government must be given to states to build housing for poor and low-income groups to meet India’s goal of Housing for All by 2022, experts and activists said.

“The government says finding land is the biggest problem for affordable housing, but the government is sitting on so much land that is lying idle,” said Shivani Chaudhry, executive director at advocacy group Housing and Land Rights Network.

“PSUs could easily work with the ministry of housing to see how best to address this issue, but they would rather monetize the land in other ways.”

PSUs hold more than 1 million acres of surplus land, according to some estimates.

These enterprises themselves are unsure how much land they have, said Samar Lahiry, a former adviser to the government’s planning commission.

“India has sufficient land for all uses, including housing, if we use our existing resources with prudence,” Mr Lahiry said.

“We need to evaluate land use and take stock of land that is locked up with PSUs. Using idle land for vital civic infrastructure such as hospitals, roads and affordable housing is important, given the contentious nature of land acquisition.”

Some of these surplus government-held lands have been encroached upon by the urban poor struggling with a lack of affordable housing.

The government committees over the years have failed to sell off these lands because of a lack of clear guidelines, inadequate records and a lack of coordination between various ministries.

A spokesman for the ministry of housing said plans to create a land bank are on track.

“The government has asked PSUs how much unused land they have. Once there is a clear idea of how much land there is, the government will draw up a plan for its use,” A.A. Rao told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Affordable housing will be a priority.”

A quarter of India’s urban population lives in informal housing such as slums, according to social consultancy FSG.