PMO directs all government departments to spot vacant lands to push affordable housing

NEW DELHI: The Prime Minister's Office has asked all government departments to identify unutilised land, especially in developed government colonies, to plan affordable housing projects, a move aimed at giving a fillip to efforts to fulfil the BJP's poll promise of housing for all by 2022.

The government wants to build a land bank to give a push to the affordable housing initiative, officials said. The states are facing a problem in planning housing projects because of paucity of land.

With this initiative, the PMO hopes to identify land packets and then urge state governments to send proposals wherever there is availability of land.

A senior government official told ET, "The PMO is monitoring the progress closely. Our experience is that some states are performing better than others because they already have their beneficiary lists ready and land availability is no problem there. So now directives have gone to all ministries to prepare a list of colonies where new houses can be built."

The urban development ministry is trying to identify land within developed government colonies as these already have basic amenities and approvals will not pose a problem.

So far, the Centre has approved housing projects worth Rs 90,000 crore across 30 states and Union Territories. The government has approved construction of 16.42 lakh affordable houses, with Tamil Nadu leading the initiative at 2.27 lakh houses, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 1.94 lakh houses and Madhya Pradesh with 1.81 lakh houses.

Housing for All by 2022 was a major poll promise of the BJP in the run-up to 2014 parliamentary election. The government is concerned at the slow progress in certain states such as Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Delhi, which have not been able to get many proposals sanctioned.

"With this initiative we hope to tell the states, you have this land available at a certain place. Now send us a proposal because even if it is central land we will get the approvals done. This will hopefully increase the pace of implementation," the official said.