Odisha plans to build 5,000 low cost housing units under new scheme

The govt intends to construct about 20,000 units annually under the scheme

To meet the growing demand for affordable housing in the state, the government is planning to build 5000 housing units immediately under a new scheme.

"Immediately we plan to take up a project at Gothapatana, on the outskirt of the city. The housing units will be built on 15-20 acres of land out of 100 acres identified there ", Injeti Srinivas, Secretary , Housing and Urban Development (HUD) department, said on the sideline of a state level workshop on Affordable Urban Housing of Odisha-2012.

"We will come out with RFP (request for proposal) in 2-3 months", he added.

Under the affordable housing scheme, the government intends to construct about 20,000 units annually.

Srinivas added, such houses will also be built in other cities like Berhampur, Rourkela, Sambalpur.

He said, there are requirement of 4,10,000 low cost houses. While Rs 1680 crore is needed under the Rajiv Awas Yojana to make Bhubaneswar slum free, the fund requirement to achieve the same objective state-wide is Rs 15,000 crore.

An official in the HUD department said, there are plans to build about 10000 units in the city in next three years. For identifying the beneficiaries, the government will rope in credible nongovernmental organizations (NGOs).

Odisha State Housing Board (OSHB) has been mandated as the state level nodal agency for implementing the scheme under the Affordable Urban Housing policy, 2012.

The income criteria laid for EWS (economically weaker section) under the scheme is up to Rs 7,500 per month (pm). For LIG (low income group) category, the income eligibility ranges from Rs 7,501 to Rs 15,000 pm while for LMIG (lower middle income group) it is fixed between Rs 15,001 and Rs 20,000 pm. For MIG applicants, their monthly income must be between Rs 20,001 and Rs 25,000.

The maximum sale price for housing units to EWS category is at Rs 3.5 lakhs, LIG Rs 5.6 lakhs, LMIG Rs 10.5 lakhs and MIG at Rs 15.6 lakhs. The policy has mandated a super built-up area of 350 square feet (sq ft) for EWS category. The same will be 560 sq ft , 840 sq ft and 1119 sq ft for LIG, LMIG and MIG groups respectively.

The scheme also envisages creation of two types of rental houses. Those for the EWS will be offered for maximum rent of Rs 1,250 per month. The houses for LIG will be available at Rs 2,000 per month. The civic agencies concerned will revise the rent from time to time.

Speaking on the occasion, Sam Sharpe, Country Head, Department for International Development (DFID) said, "in an agreement with Government of India, we are finalizing Rs 400 crore partnership with the National Housing Bank for investment in affordable housing in eight states".

The states are Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Rajasthan and Jharkhand.

HUD minister Debi Prasad Mishra , Chief Secretary BK Patnaik and Development Commissioner and additional chief secretary Jugal Mohapatra also spoke.