Housing policy being formulated: OPS

“Tamil Nadu is the most urbanised large state in the country and accords the highest priority to the housing sector. Under Vision 2023 of late Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the State aims at developing slum-free cities and to achieve the goal of housing for all,” he said at the regional workshop on ‘A New Era of Transparency and Accountability in Real Estate’ here, organised by the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA). 

The State government is currently formulating a policy to outline how it could support each segment of the housing sector. Policy and regulatory measures are adequate to support certain segments of the sector but for affordable housing, in particular, the government and its agencies also need to take on the role of a direct provider, said Panneerselvam.

He further said that more than 13 lakh families in the State have been identified under ‘Housing for All’ scheme. “So far, dwelling units have been sanctioned for 4.88 lakh families,” the Deputy CM said, adding that TN is a leading State in the implementation of the housing scheme.

Panneerselvam also listed the reforms to be undertaken by the State government in the housing sector such as improved land use planning, which includes preparation of regional plans, amendments to the Town and Country Planning Act to facilitate land pooling schemes and simplification of approval procedures.

A recently announced key policy measure taken by the government to reduce the cost of housing, was the increase in free FSI across the State from 1.5 to 2 and detailed guidelines in this regard would be issued soon.

He said in the draft common Development Regulations and Building Rules, which have already been put out for public consultation, various other parameters were being modified to ensure that the permissible FSI could be achieved. 

“The government aims to reduce house prices, enhance the ease of doing business in the construction sector, promote voluntary compliance and balance the concerns of liveability and adequacy of infrastructure, he said.

Union Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep S Puri, Secretary to Government of India, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, Durga Shanker Mishra and Chairman of Tamil Nadu Real Estate Apellate Authority Justice B Rajendran were also present at the workshop.