CHENNAI: The State Development Policy Council (SDPC) has urged the Tamil Nadu government to demand that the Centre reduce GST in the construction sector.
Speaking at a workshop on 'Urban Housing' in Chennai on Wednesday, SDPC vice-chairman C Ponnaiyan said the percentage of GST is a burden.
The 14% bank interest for the economically weaker section is also quite heavy, he said This section of people should be covered for funding under nationalised banks, a press release quoting him said.
The topics discussed included housing demand and basic access and spatial planning for green buildings. The housing shortage is estimated to be 9.1 lakh, of which 50% are in urban areas, the press release added.
Additional chief secretary of planning and development department Jayashree Raghunandan said that all housing projects should look into aspects including climate change. Sea level is on the rise and people should be moving out of coastal area, the release added.