The Housing Board, established in 1971 to provide affordable homes on a no-profit-no-loss basis, has long served economically weaker sections, low-income families, and the lower middle class. But a full-scale merger is now in the works.
Officials pointed out that HSVP cannot absorb the housing board without an amendment to the HSVP Act — a step that requires cabinet approval and endorsement by the state assembly. In addition, the board's extensive inventory and liabilities present logistical challenges. The final proposal is now being prepared for cabinet consideration.
The agency holds more than 10,000 flats and 300 acres of land currently, along with more than Rs100 crore in outstanding dues.
Since its inception, the housing board has constructed around 1 lakh residential units, serving primarily low-income groups through a lottery-based allotment system. The board continued to operate even after the formation of HSVP (then HUDA) in 1977, receiving small plots in each urban sector for its projects.
As the housing board's remaining flats will also be auctioned off, the merger could mark the end of genuinely affordable housing in the state, with HSVP's shifting to auction-based allotment, that may price out poor families
