Housing And Urban Development Department

Policy Note 2005-2006

Demand No. 25

1.1. Housing plays a predominant role among the primary and basic needs of the people. The Government of Tamil Nadu is taking effective steps to achieve a notable progress in this field by framing policies and programmes for the development of Housing Sector both in the urban and rural areas of Tamil Nadu. The Government of Tamil Nadu have set for itself the goal of providing "a house for each family". In order to achieve this goal, Tamil Nadu Housing Board, Co-operative Housing Societies, Tamil Nadu Co-operative Housing Federation and Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board are formulating and implementing schemes to provide reasonable and adequate shelter to people in different income groups.

1.2. Tamil Nadu is one among the most urbanised States in the Country. Urban population in Tamil Nadu has steadily increased from 18% to 43.86% during 1931-2001. The annual growth rate of urban population has shown a rise from 0.36 to 2.84 during the decade of 1991-2001. According to 2001 census the population of Tamil Nadu is 62.11 million and out of which 27.24 million live in 832 urban centres.

1.3. The Directorate of Town and Country Planning has been assigned with the responsibility of administering the Town and Country Planning Act, 1971. The function includes assisting the Planning authorities in preparing and implementing the statutory Plans and various schemes with a view to ensure orderly and planned development which alone can assure a clear and healthy environment in the human settlements. The Directorate is the nodal and funding agency for implementation of urban development programmes in the State with State financial assistance. The Town and Country Planning Act has as its objectives, the preparation of Regional Plans, Master Plans, New Town Development Plans and Detailed Development Plans and other various special plans.

1.4. Chennai City's population had crossed 43 lakhs in 2001 and is one of the Mega Cities in India and it is expected to reach 48 lakhs in 2011. The rapid rate of Urbanization in the Chennai Metropolitan Area is posing formidable challenges to urban infrastructure and civic services. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority has jurisdiction over Chennai Metropolitan Area (CMA) covering 1,177 sq.km., which includes Chennai city, 8 Municipalities and 10 Panchayat Unions. The Policy of Metropolitan Development of Chennai is to take cognizance of these challenges and find final solutions to them. The Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority plays a significant role in transforming the policies of the Government into reality. It has already drafted policies, programmes, and implementing various projects to improve the traffic and transportation, creation of infrastructural facilities and upgrade the existing civic services etc.

2.1. The main aim of Tamil Nadu Housing Board is to cater to the Housing needs of the people of different income groups such as Economically Weaker Section, Lower Income Group, Middle Income Group and Higher Income Group. Tamil Nadu Housing Board provides developed plots with all infrastructure facilities and individual houses and flats for all the income groups at affordable prices. Tamil Nadu Housing Board has been in the field of land development and construction of houses for the past 44 years. So far Tamil Nadu Housing Board has developed 3,93,684 housing units, out of which developed plots are 2,04,813 and balance 1,88,871 are houses and flats etc.

2.2. Tamil Nadu Housing Board reserves 18% to Schedule Caste and 1% to Schedule Tribes for allotment of the plots developed, houses / flats constructed in all its schemes (except self financing scheme). This preferential allotment will be continued in future schemes also. The Tamil Nadu Housing Board has been implementing and maintaining rental-housing scheme for Tamil Nadu Government Employees. Tamil Nadu Housing Board has constructed 29,055 rental flats under above scheme.

2.3. Due to existence of large number of unsold stock of plots / houses / flats , Tamil Nadu Housing Board has consciously decided not to take up new housing scheme and give thrust to disposing all the unsold stock of plots / houses / flats. Several marketing strategies like forming of separate sale teams in each division, participating in property fair/exhibitions, organizing sale camps in the offices of Government/Public Sector Departments, announcing 1% discount on the amount paid to those who register in the property/trade fairs and employing commission agents for the sale of houses/plots are adopted. As a special marketing initiative, approval of high level committee was obtained for reducing the prices of plots/houses in certain select schemes by rolling back to the original price by removing capitalization of interest. Further reduction of prices, in addition to removal of capitalization was also got approved for the disposal of stock. By means of the special steps taken, plots/houses/flats to a value of Rs.517.45 Crore have so far been sold since 1-4-2001 and effective steps are continued for disposal of balance available stock also.

2.4. The mandatory condition of construction of house in the plots allotted, for the issue of sale deed hitherto imposed by the Board has also been withdrawn by Government order dated
25-9-2003. This was done with a good objective of facilitating the allottees to expeditiously obtain sale deed on payment of full cost. Accordingly, 16452 sale deeds have been issued to the allottees from October 2003 to December 2004.

2.5. Necessary Guidelines are under examination for implementing Joint venture schemes initially in certain pockets of lands under the possession of Tamil Nadu Housing Board. Similarly a new land use policy is also under examination for effective utilization of lands not utilized. Land Acquisition is also in progress for implementing Satellite towns for the creation of infrastructure for large scale housing plots along the outer ring road under Chennai Infrastructure Investment Plan.

2.6. The Government constituted a committee in October 2003 to implement computerization in Tamil Nadu Housing Board. In this process, computerization of 1,46,000 allottees records were completed and e-banking system has been introduced to enable the allottees to pay their dues to Tamil Nadu Housing Board at any branch convenient to them. Computerization of land acquisition records is nearing completion. The work is in progress in implementing Integrated Financial Accounting System in Tamil Nadu Housing Board. Action is being taken to give on-site training to all staff of Tamil Nadu Housing Board by engaging reputed training firm. Required additional latest computer systems are being procured for various offices of Tamil Nadu Housing Board to meet the current requirements.

3.1. The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board is implementing various programmes for clearing and improving the urban slum areas in Tamil Nadu.

• To clear the slums in congested unhygienic urban areas and to construct tenements.

• To identify slums and provide basic facilities for ideal habitation.

• To construct tenements under rehabilitation & resettlement programme.

A Chairman, Managing Director and 9 Directors representing various departments of the Government constitute the Board.

3.2. Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has proposed to implement the following schemes during 2005-06 to ameliorate the living conditions of the urban slum families in Tamil Nadu:-

Under the Slum Clearance scheme for construction of storeyed tenements with adequate infrastructure like water supply, sewerage, roads and street lights in dense urban slums and to rehouse the slum families in self contained hygienic tenements in the same place it is proposed to construct 552 tenements at Ghouse Mohideenpet in Chennai at a cost of Rs. 6.90 crores during 2005-06 with a Government grant of Rs.3.45 crores and a loan assistance under MCP from TUFIDCO will be obtained by Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board and repayable by the Government. The remaining funds required for this scheme will be obtained as Government of India's Vambay grant.

The following programmes are proposed for the year 2005-06 under Rehabilitation and Resettlement of the slum families living in objectionable locations in mega cities.

The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board and Public Works Department have jointly identified 33,313 families living on river margins and 8164 slum families squatting on the river margins in Chennai to be shifted to facilitate the immediate desilting operations by the Public Works Department under Flood Alleviation Programme. It is proposed to resettle these slum families in storeyed tenements in near by places to enable the Public Works Department to carryout desilting works. As part of the programme to resettle 8164 slum families, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has already completed the construction of 3000 tenements in Okkium Thuraipakkam at a cost of Rs.26.23 crore and allotted to the slum families living on river margins in Chennai city. Besides, utilising Rs. 1.27 crore savings available under this component, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has planned to construct 108 tenements at a cost of Rs. 1.27 crore in Semmencheri. This programme will be completed in 2005-06 and allotted to the slum families living on river margins and posing hindrance to the desilting operations.

In order to resettle the remaining 5164 slum families squatting on river margins and posing hindrance to the immediate desilting operations, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has been constructing 5164 tenements (having a plinth area of 21 sq.m. each) at a total cost of Rs.67.13 crore adopting the following funding pattern:

These tenements will be completed before 30.6.2005 and the slum families squatting on river margins and living in unhygienic conditions will be resettled in these tenements during 2005-06 at Semmencheri.

The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has programmed to take up the construction of tenements in Chennai Metropolitan Area to resettle the remaining 25149 slum families who are living on the river margins in Chennai city and to construct 3404 tenements at Okkium Thuraipakkam, Semmencheri near Chennai and Bharathi Nagar. As part of this programme, Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has been constructing 1404 tenements in Semmencheri at a cost of Rs.18.25 crore. This programme will be completed during 2005-06 and tenements allotted to the slum families living on river margins in Chennai city. The work of construction of 2000 tenements at a cost of Rs.26.00 crore in Okkium Thuraipakkam and Bharathi Nagar will be taken up during 2005-06. A budgetary support of Rs.20.00 crore has also been made for the Rehabilitation and Resettlement Programme for the year 2005-06 under Chennai Metropolitan Development Plan.

It is programmed to take up the construction of an additional 5000 individual houses under Vambay programme during 2005-06 at a total cost of Rs.23.30 crores in the urban slum areas in Tamil Nadu. This programme will be commenced during the year 2005-06 and completed in 2006-2007 on the following funding pattern:-

The tenements constructed by the TNSCB in Chennai and other towns are subjected to structural repairs like damages to roof slab, staircases, balconies, landing slabs etc.

The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has now proposed to carry out additional structural repairs and renewal works for the slum tenements in Chennai and other towns at a total cost of Rs.19.00 crores. The funds required for this programme has been mobilised as follows.

b. CONSTITUENCY DEVELOPMENT FUND

It is programmed to implement repairs and renewal works to the slum tenements at a cost of Rs.2.00 crore utilising the Constituency Development Fund during the year 2005-06.

To augment the resources for the maintenance of the tenements, TNSCB has been constructing commercial complexes and MIG flats at vantage locations in Chennai and other major towns in Tamil Nadu. These commercial complexes are constructed on the small extent of left over lands, rendered surplus after constructing adequate number of tenements for the slum families in the same area. The surplus income generated under this programme is utilised for the maintenance of slum tenements. These programmes have been implemented out of the institutional loan assistance and the repayment of the loan is taken care of by Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board.

The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has taken up the construction of 30 individual houses at a cost of Rs.1.05 crore in Thirunelveli and the work will be completed during 2005-06.

The Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board has programmed to implement the Rain Water Harvesting measures in its schemes and to spend Rs.25.00 lakhs for this programme during 2005-06.