Changes proposed in EWS housing scheme rules

A change has been made in the development control (DC) rules of Pimpri Chinchwad New Town Development Authority (PCNTDA), which has decided to provide an additional 1.5 FSI, for the construction of Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) houses.

In addition to houses built by the authority, the additional FSI would also be applicable to houses that are constructed by the government or semi government authorities. As per reports, the proposal would be applicable for EWS buildings that are already constructed by the PCMC at Chikhli.

It was informed by Mr. Yogesh Mhase, chief executive officer of PCNTDA, that the proposed changes in the DC rules would prove beneficial to the EWS housing project of the municipal corporation at Chikhli. However, the decision to allow additional FSI has been challenged by many political parties.

The state government of Maharashtra had directed PCNTDA to make changes in the DC rules, and implement the same after it is finally approved by the state government. Oppositions stated that there are no provisions in the DC rules, to allot extra FSI to housing projects. The same is being done by the civic authority before the proposal is sanctioned by the PCNTDA. The projects which are being developed at present, are under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission(JNNURM) and are constructed on PCNTDA lands.

Moreover, due to the non-availability of land, Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation has decided to reduce the number EWS houses to be constructed. Earlier, it was planned that the economically weaker sections housing scheme, which is a part of the JNNURM scheme, would include about 13,200 houses. However, the same has now been revised to a count of 7,800. The housing project is funded by the state and the central government, and hence, a revised project report for development would have to be submitted by the civic authority. The proposal to reduce the number of tenements has been opposed by political parties like the BJP, Shiv Sena and Congress.

Affordable housing solutions

The State Housing Boards and Development Authorities catered the needs of affordable housing  in the country through EWS and LIG units, for the past decades. However, at present, private sector developers and financial institutions have also entered the field and have started developing new models for building and financing affordable housing.

The Draft Development Control Regulations (DCR) for Development Plan Pune states that is mandatory to handover the tenements constructed for EWS, LIG and MIG to Pune Municipal Corporation free of cost. In lieu of EWS, LIG and MIG constructed area handed over to PMC, developer / owner shall be entitled for FSI or TDR equal to 1.5 times of the FSI used for such construction. Such permitted FSI will be over and above the permissible FSI and TDR on that plot. Such tenements may be used for rehabilitation of project affected persons.

As per the report published by the task force on promoting affordable housing – November 2012(Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation), the minimum size of a habitable EWS dwelling unit, the absolute minimum size of areas as presented in the NBC code should be followed. The recommendations on the size of Affordable Housing Dwelling Units are as follows:

For Economically Weaker Section (EWS): 21- 27sq.m Carpet Area
For Lower Income Group (LIG-A): 28-40 sq.m Carpet Area
For Upper Lower Income Group (LIG-B): 41-60 sq.m Carpet Area

An admissible marginal variation of 10% was recommended in these ranges. While the minimum area of the EWS would be fixed at 21 sq.m and the maximum for LIGB would be fixed at 60 sq.m, the EWS maximum area could be between 25.2 and 30.8 sq.m. This would give states the flexibility to decide the final area specifications for projects within their particular situations.