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Posted on 06 February 2012 |
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| CURRENT AFFAIRS |
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PROJECT HOME |
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The urgent need for abodes in urban India
India will need over 50 crore new homes in the next decade, says a study
Samiran Saha
New Delhi
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Illustration: Tim Tim Rose |
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INDIA WILL need over 50 crore new homes in the next decade. The number is close to what China, North America and Western Europe put together would need during the same period, said a study bought out by industry chamber, the Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Sunday.
The study suggests that the government should focus its strengths and energy towards long-term maintenance rather than construction.
“We have to rethink the way we live or there is no tomorrow,” warned Pradeep Puri, chair, urban development committee, FICCI, in his report.
According to the report titled Urban Infrastructure, India’s population is slated to grow to 170 crore by 2050 and rapid urbanisation will add nearly 90 crore people to Indian cities. And in just over a decade from now, nearly 50 crore Indians will need new, urban homes.
While suggesting a review of the country’s planning norms, the report says it should be efficient for both large and small cities taking into consideration the price variation.
“Indian planning norms have been borrowed mainly from the West and need important modifications. Planning norms should be efficient for large cities and small towns due to land price variation and availability of land,” said the report.
According to the report, in 2001 about 28.6 crore people were living in urban areas of India and it was the second largest urban population in the world.
Citing the Registrar General & Census Commissioner of India, the report said the urban population in India over the next 25 years (from the year 2001) is expected to grow 38 per cent and become 53.4 crore in 2026.
Furthermore, as per Census, 2001, 640 cities and towns in 26 states and union territories have reported slum population.
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According to a FICCI report, India’s population is slated to grow to 170cr by 2050 |
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Andhra Pradesh has the largest number of towns (77) reporting slums followed by Uttar Pradesh (69), Tamil Nadu (63) and Maharashtra (61). Around 4.26 crore people lived in slums in 2001 which constituted 15 per cent of the total urban population of the country and 22.6 per cent of the urban population of the states/union territories reporting slums.
The report said weak fiscal and financial base of Urban Local Bodies (ULBs) leaves a lot to be desired as far as service is concerned.
“It hampers their ability to provide efficient services to citizens. Also, there is no framework that governs maintenance of common spaces such as markets, housing colonies, bridges, footpaths, street lights and playgrounds,” the report added.
According to the report, the problem has got accentuated because ULBs and government procurement in relation to urban infrastructure focus more on construction of the facility than on the long-term operation and maintenance of the facility.
“The housing market in India has become increasingly skewed against the poor,” pointed out the report,” it added.
Apart from the sporadic success of some economically weaker section schemes, bulk of the housing market caters to middle income groups,” stated the report.
Samiran Saha is Assistant Editor, Business with Tehelka.
samiran@tehelka.com
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