Housing for Poor: Serving the Rich

Under the current JNNURM and IHSDP scheme, the Government of India has initiated a huge task of providing housing for the poor by the way giving the houses at the susidised rate with contribution from the central, state and local funds. At the start of the scheme in 2006 it was assumed a significant step towards attaining the goal and changes were observed in the attitude of the state and local government. But now experts like Amitabh Kundu (Professor, JNU) and Krishnamurty (Director, Centre for Policy research) have questioned the ideological bankrupcy of the thinkers in changing the norms for the sake of serving the target groups from EWS/LIG to MIG/HIG householders. The price range for the house with loan components have been increased from Rs. 90,000 to Rs. 1,50,000 in most of the schemes and subsequently to Rs. 3.0 to 5.0 lakhs in the schemes running in the metropolitan cities of country. This high cost of the housing would not be able to target the income group it was intending to serve. Secondly the lobbying by the builders and developers inorder to take hold of prime land are forcing the schemes to be removed from the current locations to the outskirts of the city in the pretext of providing housing for the poor. Are we serious?

This shift in outlook and retroric of 'slum free India' is changing the basic ideologies and approach needs to be adopted for the housing for the poor. By these projects housing stock in the cities might be increased but it would be difficult to provide housing for the poor. It was not right on the part with the governments to play in the hands of private parties and forget the larger interests of the urban poor. Urban improvement and renewal if it can be taken 'in situ' should be encouraged, particiaption by the community concerned should be made mandatory in the project (construction and services), local bodies should involve themselves directly to the projects rather then engaging the contractors and developers for the projects.

ULCRA (land Ceiling) does not harm the poor, this should not be tinkered in the pretext of releasing land for the poor, instead the land should be released by the districts immediatly for the projects. Not more than 5 % of land would be required for the housing for the poor in the city. It would not be difficult to accomodate them in the current schemes and plan for action regarding housing for them.

Lets not be in haste in acheiving the targets under the schemes, people are not the objects for the scheme rather these are the subjects and requires sensitive handling.