Saturday, Apr 20, 2024 | Last Update : 06:42 PM IST
Affordable homes remain on paper
State agencies have failed to build a single affordable house despite announcing that the government would build over one lakh affordable houses this year to complete its target of 19 lakh houses by 2
State agencies have failed to build a single affordable house despite announcing that the government would build over one lakh affordable houses this year to complete its target of 19 lakh houses by 2022. According to the housing department, not a single affordable house has been built so far in the state. Mhada, the housing department and other agencies have so far only planned to build houses in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) region and across the state.
The announcement to build 19 lakh affordable houses was made by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis after assuming office in 2014. This was one of the main announcements of the BJP-led government. However, in the past one-and-a-half years, state agencies have not even started any work.
A senior official from the housing department said that affordable houses are still in the planning stage. “No affordable houses are built so far. They are in the planning stage. A few proposals are pending for approval under the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana for affordable houses,” the official said, on condition of anonymity.
The official added that the housing department is planning 50,000 houses across the state that will be built this year.
Speaking about the announcement, a Mhada official said, “We have planned six lakh houses in the next 36 months. So far, we have been in the process to get land that is with the revenue department. Around 70 per cent of the demand for these houses is in the MMR.”
The houses, being planned under the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana, are for first-time buyers with a monthly household income of not more than Rs 25,000, and those who are willing to buy units of not more than 30 sq metres or 322 sq feet. The Centre and the state jointly share a subsidy of Rs 2.5 lakh each for homebuyers of the economically weaker section.
A few days ago, the CM had also held a meeting with the housing department authorities and expressed his unhappiness over the slow progress of the project. Sources in the housing department said that the CM also asked the officials to show actual homes, as the pressure for housing on the government had increased.”
