Housing and Urban Development Department in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir is going to be in a considerable limelight as we are set to witness an innovative approach to a workable Housing Policy getting fructified into a reality. Almost all states and UTs have one or the other Housing Policy aiming at affordable housing especially for those sections which were economically on a minimum average level but the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and now a Union Territory has been found wanting in having a concrete policy and on a continuous basis in vogue. It is , however, noteworthy that the Administrative Council which recently met under the chairmanship of the Lieutenant Governor, has accorded sanction to a proposal of Housing and Urban Development Department for adoption and notification of J&K Housing , Affordable Housing, Slum Redevelopment and Rehabilitation and Township Policy 2020. The policy, inter-alia, is based on the premise and is approved under the broader vision of meeting the growing requirement of affordable housing, slum redevelopment and rehabilitation as also rental housing.
The policy appears to be quite promising as it comprises seven models of housing starting from in -situ or the original position slum redevelopment to integrated township . If all associated factors,as prerequisites of a sound and practical Housing Policy, are worked upon in a concerted and planned way, the mega project , the first of its kind related to building dwellings in Jammu and Kashmir, would really see the light of the day, giving hope to the targeted sections to have a shelter of their own. Since arranging for finances and acquiring land are the two main ingredients of a Housing Policy , it is proposed to be accomplished by taking recourse to public private partnership. In other words, the project needs private investment on a big scale besides since the policy would be fulfilling certain provisions and requirements of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, Housing for All and other Centrally sponsored housing schemes, proportionate funds could also be expected from the Central Government. However, resources shall have to be pooled by the UT Government also.
Since the extent of slums and slum dwellers in Jammu and Kashmir is not of a big magnitude on comparative basis but wherever they are in existence over some years, efforts should be about relocation in such a way that sanctity of existing social and economic linkages developed over a period of time was maintained and it is good that it is taken care of in the proposed policy . That the policy is optimistic about constructing as many as one lakh houses over the next five years is quite innovative but should not prove to be a tall claim never to be fulfilled later or dragged on over years to be attended to on piecemeal basis.
Since providing plots to the needy for constructing houses or even to those who otherwise being not eligible ”manage” to get the same as a bonus, by the Government does not work out to be one percent of the requirement of housing, rest of the need obviously is fulfilled, as seen over the years, by the people themselves in unplanned and sans amenities locations. Unplanned , if not totally unauthorised colonies, have sprung up in almost all parts of the Union Territory. That obviously is as a fallout of absence of a sound workable and implementable Housing Policy and propertown planning by the Government.
Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board was constituted for providing affordable shelter to all , developing housing colonies not only in urban localities but in rural areas as well. Jammu Development Authority, Srinagar Development Authority and other identified agencies entrusted with the same job have very little to their credit in having done anything worth mentioning towards providing or assisting in providing affordable housing to the deserving. Needless to reiterate, affordable housing is inversely related to those sections of the society with income below the average household income or low income, middle income and economically weaker sections. It may also be not lost sight of that affordable housing still remains a key issue in the UT of Jammu and Kashmir despite many a beautiful colony having sprung up in many parts of the UT. Overcrowding, congestion, homelessness, narrow roads, sanitation and civic problems must be addressed seriously along with building dwellings over the next five years. We trust the Housing Policy should have been more comprehensive in its tenor and purpose but whatever it is all about, as of now, can it be expected to be translated into reality?
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