Housing approvals within 60 days

Housing approvals in Delhi and Mumbai will come within 60 days. The notification for the model approval process in Delhi and Mumbai is expected soon. Venkaiah Naidu, Union Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation told in an exclusive interview last week. There will be an online process through which applications will be sent and approvals will come in 60 days. In case the approval does not come on time, the owner or developer can file an affidavit and start construction. Efforts are on to implement the process across the country. However, this needs to spread to the rest of the country as well. In fact, the Centre has invited all states for a discussion on these issues on 28th February, 2017 in Delhi.   Metropolises such as Bengaluru, Pune and Noida are under scrutiny and comprehensive plans are being drawn to build better infrastructure. The Centre is facilitating creation of funds for urban local bodies in states to make cities more liveable. “We are taking into account the water supply, roads, etc. and creating a five-year development plan,” he said while talking about Bengaluru, Pune and Noida cities. State participation is key to achieving adequate infrastructure and infrastructure is the essence of realizing the ‘Housing for All 2022’ dream. Affordable housing will be a success only when states perform. Around 23,000 houses lie vacant in Delhi alone because of lack of infrastructure. “Where there are people there are no houses and now there are houses with nobody residing in them. It is a grave problem,” said Naidu. The main infrastructure concern areas are drainage, sewage, main roads, byroads, rain water drainage, maintenance of water bodies, etc. It is a joint effort by the Centre, states and local bodies. People only look for better quality and good services. If the states can figure out a method to provide these then there’s no going back. “They should study the development patterns of different states. Learn from other’s mistakes,” suggested Naidu. He quoted the example of Rajkot in Gujarat, “It is a perfect example of how land can be monetised and used for rebuilding houses.” States should be agile and respond to the policy changes. The developer community had initially voiced their concerns around the approval process. This concern has been taken care of by the Ministry of HUPA and Urban Development. MHUPA has collaborated with nine ministries to resolve the issue. Naidu shared, “Developers need around 41 permissions from the government which takes a lot of time. At the same time we are asking them to stick to timelines. So, I held meetings with several ministries and we agreed on some measures.” He informed that the municipal bodies will start working through colour coded maps which they can consult, identify the area and grant approvals quickly. Through the Real Estate Regulation Act (RERA), the aim is to create a central advisory mechanism, to ensure fair practices at the Centre and the states and to realise the mission of Housing for All By 2022. Naidu said that he has been actively pursuing the matter with the states. While some states have notified RERA, some are yet to do so. “By the deadline of May 2017, I am sure all the states will follow suit and notify the rules,” he added.