Tamil Nadu government set to frame new housing policy

The policy will give a broad direction on setting up low-income housing, rental housing, and green buildings.

The new policy is being drafted by the housing policy committee set up by the State Development Policy Council (SDPC), a body that directs the government on policies and formulates programs to manage the development of the State.

The policy is aiming at filling the cracks in the Tamil Nadu Affordable Urban Housing and Habitat Policy (TNAUHHP), and it was drafted last year as per the World Bank suggestions.

A committee member told the media that the new policy would be different from the housing policy approved by the State government in March last year. The prior policy concentrated on urban housing and lacked a rural perspective.

Former chairman and managing director of the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO), V Suresh, told the media that the housing cost has gone up and land is limited. There is a requirement for policy interventions.

Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC) founder Vanessa Peter said that under the earlier policy, there are gaps in both rural and urban housing plans, and these should be addressed. The panel should also include members of civil society, communities, and beneficiaries, she added.

Vanessa said that the policy document was not open for public consultation. Before unveiling the new policy, the policymakers should consult the public and community members, and the draft should be made available in Tamil too.

The prior housing policy was developed by Ernst and Young after the German Agency for International Cooperation or (GIZ), appointed it to study Tamil Nadu's housing scenario and draft a habitat policy.

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