The offer for TN short of 2.82 million houses

Tuesday, 15 December 2009 10:34 administrator
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The New Indian Express 15.12.2009

The offer for TN short of 2.82 million houses

K P Sai Kiran


NEW DELHI: A staggering 2.82 million is the number of houses Tamil Nadu is short of, according a recent report by a committee constituted by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation.

With the country’s population growing rapidly and increasingly drifting towards urban areas – by about 3.8 per cent annually – this urban housing shortage is a matter of great concern.

By the end of the 10th Five Year Plan period, the total housing shortage in the country will stand at 24.71 million, the committee estimated.

Maharashtra tops the list with a shortage of 3.72 million houses.

The committee found that shortage of housing was highest for economically weaker sections (those with an income of up to Rs 3,300 per month.)Their shortage was 21.78 million houses. Low income groups (between Rs 3,300 and Rs 7,300 per month) fare a little better with a housing shortage of 2.89 million while for middle and high income groups the shortage was 0.04 million houses.

The committee reported that the government envisaged a requirement of an additional 1.82 million dwellings for the 11th Five Year Plan period. Since land and colonisation are state subjects, it was primarily the responsibility of state governments to provide adequate shelter both for residents as well as migrants, the report added.

Last Updated on Tuesday, 15 December 2009 10:36