Plodding pace of construction stalling affordable housing dream in state

Even as chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday performed bhoomipujan for a housing project under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) in Solapur, affordable housing continues to remain a distant dream. Various government-implementing bodies involved in the work of constructing affordable homes continue to do it at a slow pace.

The state economic survey of 2015-16 reveals that the Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) constructed a mere 772 units in 2015-16 (up to December 2015), which is its worst performance in the past five years. Since the Mhada’s inception in 1977, it has constructed around 4.5 lakh units in cities like Mumbai Konkan region, Pune, Nashik, Aurangabad, Amravati and Nagpur.

The scenario is the same for the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA), which has completed a mere 1,512 projects compromising 1,62,502 slum families since its inception in 1995, according to the state economic survey of 2016-2017. However, there is a minimal improvement in the SRA’s performance when compared with the figures of state economic survey of 2009-10. The SRA had completed only 582 projects till 2009-10. However, in the past six years the total has increased to 1,512 projects, according to the economic survey. The City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) has constructed 1.82 lakh homes in Navi Mumbai, Aurangabad, Nashik and Nanded up to December 2015, since its inception in 1980, according to the state economic survey.

Further, the state cabinet in December 2015 approved construction of affordable homes in 51 cities of which 11 lakh will be built in Mumbai.

Experts, however, find the target set by government as irrational considering the data revealed by state economic survey. “Mhada takes 15 to 20 years at times to acquire land for constructing houses. There is also rampant corruption in the administration, which adds to the slow pace of work. Also, Mhada falls prey to the builder lobby and one cannot expect to improve if the builder lobby is given more importance. Any given government if it is serious and dedicated can utilise bodies like Mhada much more efficiently,” said Chandrashekhar Prabhu, an activist in the housing sector.

Various other schemes like the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission, Basic Services to Urban Poor, Integrated Housing and Slum Development Programme, Indira Awas Yojana and Shabari Adivasi Gharkul Yojana adopted from the Centre have failed to take off.