CHANDIGARH JUNE 11:The Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash Singh Badal today unveiled a major initiative for providing "Houses for All" and offered his Government’s fulsome support to the corporate sector for a joint bid to provide every poor and needy persons in the state a roof over his head.
The Chief Minister was addressing an interactive gathering of major builders and real Estate Developers from all over the country here today organized by National Real Estate Development Council (NAREDCO). Mr. Badal called upon realtors to help the state government evolving a long term and sustainable strategy by which the principle goal of homes for the homeless for the poorest of the poor in the backward and rural areas could be met without comprising on the professional and the commercial viability of the project for the real Estate players.
Mr. Badal announced a series of unprecedented policy initiatives to kick start and all out war for the housing for the poor, especially in the rural areas.
Mr. Badal also announced the creation of a separate "State Shelter Fund" to be used exclusively for the construction of Economically Weaker Section houses by the Punjab Urban Planning & Development Authority (PUDA). All urban development authorities would contribute 50% of the license fee collection to the fund. Having an interaction with the stakeholders in coordination with NARDECO before freezing the policy on "Affordable Housing for All", Mr. Badal listed various path breaking measures taken in the housing and urban development.
The Chief Minister offered facilities for building houses for Economically Weaker Sections’ (EWS) near the abadi on Panchayat and Government land. "The land can also be obtained by exchange or acquisition or purchase", he said, while announcing a host of concessions and exemptions on building EWS houses. He said that no stamp duty and registration fee would be charged on the purchase of land and transfer of EWS houses. Also, material used for construction of EWS houses would be exempted from VAT. These houses he said would be allotted to the beneficiaries identified by a competent authority. "In rural areas, the cost of construction should be limited to Rs.1.00 lac per unit, which would be single storied and beneficiaries wherever possible could be asked to contribute labour component in the construction of EWS houses, the Chief Minister said. The Chief Minister appreciated the initiative taken by Ambuja Cement Ltd. to develop a cluster of houses for poor in village Gaggar in Lambi block of Muktsar district. He appealed the other realtors and builders to follow the suit.
He said that at least 10% of the area in all master plans of the residential zone would be fixed in land use for LIG and EWS Houses. In such areas, 50% concession would be allowed in respect of commercial pockets. He said that in order to rationalize the use of urban land, the policy had been oriented towards vertical growth e.g. low rise high density and in very costly area high rise high density.
Setting the pace of housing for poor, Mr. Badal announced the constitution of a committee consisting Chief Administrator, PUDA; Director, Local Govt; Director, Rural Development and Panchayat and Chief General Manager, Punjab Infrastructure Development Board (PIDB) to identify chunks of land which could be used for constructing housing for the poor.
Indicating the ongoing pace of urban development in Punjab the 4th most urbanized state of India, Mr Badal pointed out that the State had the strongest middle class base. "Habit of spending, belief in quality of life and large NRI population implies Punjab’s highest potential for real estate in India," said the Chief Minister.
Mr. Badal said that the Punjab Government was targeting world class infrastructure in urban areas. Referring to the major forthcoming projects, the Chief Minister said that roads in Mohali had been planned wider than Chandigarh with 12 lane flow. Mohali International Airport, Express Ways and Ring Roads were coming. The process of preparing statutory master plans had been set in motion by notifying local planning areas in Chandigarh periphery (Mohali, Kharar, Mullanpur, Dera Bassi, Banur and Zirakpur), Ludhiana (Draft notified) Jalandhar, Amritsar, Patiala, Bathinda and 30 other towns. This process shall be completed within one year by foreign based consultants. State government has come out with a new policy for integrated mixed land use super mega industrial parks and golf courses by granting various concessions and major relief to industry, hotels, hospitals institutions and multimedia centres.
Mr. Badal said that these progressive policies had resulted in a massive response and approval of projects in an area measuring 8000 acres during the last one year as compared to 7000 acres cleared during the 12 years from 1995 to 2006. "The potential of these progressive policies can also be gauged from the recent auctions of land conducted in Punjab during the last one year that generated revenue to the tune of Rs. 1500 crore including Rs 465.00 crores from a single chunk at Mohali", concluded Mr Badal.
The Chief Minister accompanied by his Media Advisor Mr. Harcharan Bains, Principal Secretary Mr. DS Guru, Secretary Housing & Urban Development Mr.Arun Goyal, Special Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr.KJS Cheema and Principal Resident Commissioner Punjab Bhawan Ms. Anjuly Chib Duggal.
The gathering was attended almost all the major players in the field of housing, real estate and infrastructure building including Chairman Ambuja Cements Ltd. SK Neotia, Mr.Puneet Saran Senior Vice President-Corporate Relation Ambuja Cements Ltd, Parnab Saran Vice Chairman Ansal API, Vice Chairman Rajiv Singh DLF Ltd. Mr Pankaj Bajaj Managing Director Eldeco Infrastructure & Properties Ltd, Chief Executive Officer Emaar MGF Land Ltd, Mr Parminder Sehgal, Brig(Retd)RRSingh Director General NAREDCO, Mr..Rohtas Goel CMD Omaxe Ltd, Mr Sanjiv Jain Managing Director Parsvnath Developers Ltd, Mr Salil Kumar General Manager-Marketing Suncity Project Pvt Ltd, Mr Ravinder taneja Managing Director Taneja Developers & Infrastructure Ltd. Dr Ramesh Chandra Managing Director Unitech Limited.