Govt mulling proposal to allow builders to construct only 10% EWS houses Building rules being redrawn for economically weaker sections
Ambika Sharma
Tribune News Service
Solan, February 17
The state government had made it mandatory for builders operating in an area of more than 40 bighas to construct at least 25 per cent houses for the economically weaker sections (EWSs), but in the absence of any fixed criteria the targeted population failed to benefit from it.
The state government had initially laid down the norm that builders whose construction activity was spread across 40 bighas would be required to construct merely 8 per cent of their houses for the EWSs.
This norm was later enhanced to 15 and later to 25 per cent following a directive from the Union government aimed at providing low cost housing to a larger number of people.
The Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department has, however, proposed an amendment in it, where builders who fall in this criteria, would be required to construct only 10 per cent EWS houses.
This proposal was now under consideration of the state government, confided an official of the TCP Department.
He said since the norm of 25 per cent houses for the EWS had become difficult to be met in view of the high cost of construction, builders had been demanding a relaxation in the criteria.
According to the proposed amendment, an upper limit too has been defined for such EWS houses and a builder would have to restrict its cost within that limit.
Since there was no such binding on builders in earlier norms, this would ensure that such houses remain within the reach of the weaker sections.
It was earlier observed that the high cost of houses constructed under the EWS failed to draw adequate buyers thus giving builder a free hand to bypass this norm.
A builder is supposed to issue at least two advertisements in leading dailies about such houses before claiming that he could find no buyers, but the norm failed to work in favour of the weaker sections owing to the high cost.
The officials had defined the upper limit for such norms in the proposed amendment after comparing rates of construction in other states like Haryana, an official said.
While some builders failed to find adequate buyers owing to high cost of ESW houses, some rented out such houses to the industry executives in Baddi though there was no such norm which allowed them this concession.
Officials are now awaiting the state government’s nod for the new amendments to make this provision more meaningful for the EWSs.
