Parl panel flags low housing satisfaction in paramilitary

With less than half of the paramilitary staff allotted official accommodation, a key parliamentary committee has urged the Centre to develop a roadmap to construct housing units for the personnel who are posted across the length and breadth of the country.

Observing that the housing satisfaction in the Central Armed Police Forces (CAFPs) was 47.95 per cent, Parliament’s Standing Committee on Home Affairs has, in its latest report, emphasised that achieving a target of 70-80 per cent was essential for enhancing living conditions for the personnel and their families.

The CAFPs, which include the Border Security Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force and the National Security Guard, function under the administrative control of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

“The committee recommends that the ministry may develop a strategic roadmap to construct housing units for CAPF personnel in urban or well-connected areas to improve the current housing satisfaction level,” the report said. “It emphasises on utilising rapid construction technologies to expedite the process and ensure timely completion of projects,” it said.

The committee observed that a significant challenge identified in the low satisfaction level was the unwillingness of personnel to accept accommodation in semi-urban or remote areas due to the distance from essential amenities like schools and hospitals.

Over two years ago, the MHA had launched an online portal, CAPF e-AWAS”, to optimise the allocation of existing housing units across different forces. This portal aimed to enhance the housing satisfaction ratio by allowing personnel from one force to seek accommodations available with another, thereby increasing the chances of finding a government accommodation by widening the available pool of houses.

The committee recommended that the scope and functionality of the portal be enhanced to improve the allocation of existing accommodation by ensuring it serves as an accurate inventory of residential houses and separated family accommodation (SFA) across all CAPFs.

The combined strength of the CAPFs is close to 10 lakh personnel. Their main task includes peacetime management of the international borders, anti-terrorist and counter-insurgency operations, guarding sensitive installations and assisting the state police in law enforcement.