REPORT OF THE TASK FORCE ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR ALL

Provision of affordable housing is one of the most formidable challenges that India currently faces. The 11^th Five Year Plan estimates the urban housing shortage at the commencement of Plan period at 24.7 million units, with 99% of this shortage pertaining to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Groups (LIG).  Taking these into account,  Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation had set up a High Level Task Force on the 15th January, 2008 to look into the various aspects of providing Affordable Housing for All under the Chairmanship of Mr. Deepak Parekh, Chairman – HDFC Ltd. to submit a report on the following issues:-

1.       Developing innovative financial instruments for bringing flexibility in the housing market and examining various fiscal and spatial incentives for increasing supply of houses to economically weaker sections and Low Income families.

2.       Affordability of all categories including the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), Low Income Groups (LIG) and Middle Income Groups (MIG) in terms of their income and consequent paying capability as well as other factors; recommending ways and means of enhancing accessibility of EWS/LIG groups to housing with suitable governmental support; and Recommending ways and means of enhancing accessibility of MIG groups to housing.

3.       Examining the framework of Regional Planning and Master Planning with a view to enhancing the supply of developed land and recommending legislative measures for accelerating the supply of housing units for the urban poor.

4.       Recommending measures for promotion of low cost building technologies;

5.       Suggesting steps for enhancing the supply of rental housing;

6.       Assisting the Ministry in devising an integrated strategy for in-situ slum upgradation with a view to improving the quality of habitat as well as providing the urban poor with places to work and sell; and

7.       Advising the Ministry about various types of programme initiatives with the aim of achieving the goal of “Affordable Housing for All”.

Shri Deepak Parekh, Chairman of the Task Force presented the report to Kumari Selja, Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation today. A presentation on the recommendations was made before Minister, which was attended by Ms. Kiran Dhingra, Secretary, Ministry of Housing & Urban Poverty Alleviation, Shri S.K. Singh, Joint Secretary (Housing), Dr. P.K. Mohanty, Mission Director (JNNURM) and Prof. OP Mathur.

            The Minister informed that Ministry will examine the recommendations made by the Task Force and take a view in the matter.

Recommendations of the Task Force

The Task Force has strongly recommended the need for ‘Affordable Housing’ and mentioned that delay in addressing the affordable housing problem would seriously affect India’s economic growth and poverty reduction strategies. The Task Force notes that housing is central to economic growth and has multiplier effects on employment, poverty reduction etc. The Task Force estimates that alleviating the urban housing shortage could potentially raise the rate of growth of GDP by at least 1-1.5 percent and have a decisive impact on improving the basic quality of life.

Some of the specific recommendation of the Task Force are:-

Affordable Housing

·         “Affordable Housing” be put at the centre of public policy.

·         Any attempt to fix a definition of affordable housing for a country as large and diverse as India, using the concept of “one-size-fits-all” is counter-productive. However, the Task Force
has suggested the following parameters for the purpose

 

 

 

 

 

The Task Force visualises the size of the household as five members.                            

·         Government to may undertake a separate exercise to estimate the number of households on the basis of above.

·         Data on housing starts and completions at the national and state level be made readily available and may be collected through an institutional structure.

 

Land for Affordable Housing

·         Additional lands may be brought into urban usage on a regular basis by:

·         Simplifying procedures and processes for land acquisition and conversion of agricultural lands for urban use.

·         Reviewing the processes of Master Planning and effecting such changes as are necessary for making a proper assessment of land requirements and allocation of such lands for different uses, including lands for affordable housing. 

·         Treat affordable housing as a ‘public purpose.’

·         Upward revision in the FAR/FSI, across cities of different sizes commensurate with investment in infrastructure that it will necessitate.

·         Develop detailed critical space plans, which incorporate infrastructure intensive cluster development.

·         Impose an impact fee on those benefiting from higher FAR/FSI.

·         In-situ development on public lands for addressing affordable housing issues in partnership with the Government.

·         ‘Security of tenure’ be recognised as an important and integral tool for relieving pressures on the housing market. This may undertaken through regularisation of settlements, community or cooperative ownership, security via lease, use rights, which enables in-situ development to take place.

·         The recommendations on land related issues i.e. bringing in additional lands, upward revision in the FAR/FSI and in-situ development have to be implemented in an integrated manner.

·         Improve the speed of transactions through cadastrals, computerised land records and application of e-governance to land transactions.

·         Commission a professional study, to examine the range of issues covering urban land and recommend a comprehensive, long-term urban land policy. Given the environmental concerns, “sustainable” methodologies need to be developed.

·         Need to foster an environment that would make rental housing for EWS/LIG categories a worthwhile activity to invest in.

 

Fiscal and Financial Framework

·         Increase JNNURM funds for affordable housing by 100 percent and a part of the funds be used for direct provisioning of housing for poor urban households.

·         A part of the funds be also used as supplements for in-situ development to be routed through the Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) and Community Based Organisations (CBOs).

·         A cess of 0.5 percent on all central government taxes be credited to a dedicated Shelter Fund, to be managed by the National Housing Bank, with a budgetary support of equal amount, so as to make a long-term impact on affordable housing.

·         Permit housing finance institutions (HFIs) to access long-term External Commercial Borrowing (ECB) market, since the HFIs require long-term funding sources at the lowest cost possible to pass on to the ultimate borrowers.

·         Role of State Housing Boards be revamped and the Boards be encouraged to focus on playing a more active role in the provision of affordable housing, even if it is through public private partnerships.

·         Funds raised through the sale of land transactions by State Housing Boards must be ring fenced, with a defined proportion to be redeployed only for affordable housing.

·         Modifications in Income Tax Act for HFCs and developers engaged in affordable housing projects.

·         Reduction in stamp duty rates and registration fee for affordable housing to 2% ad valorem uniformly in all states.

·         Levy a flat charge of Rs. 1,000 on registration of equitable mortgages.

·         Bring “affordable housing” under the infrastructure definition.

·         Establish a housing finance company focusing only on housing micro-finance loans.

·         Promote household savings in the informal sector

Technology for Cost Effectiveness

·         A low-rise high-density built form is recommend as an appropriate measure for upgrading, redevelopment or construction of housing projects for the lower income groups.

Institutional Framework

·         The real estate should be regulated through a regulator and pending the legislative process for having real estate regulators in place in the States, consideration should be given to set up Ombudsman type bodies at the State level. 

·         The role of the housing and real estate Ombudsman would be to monitor JNNURM housing projects, ensure that proper appraisals are being done, collect relevant data, identify beneficiaries for JNNURM housing projects and address consumer grievances.

·          

********

AVC/MRS

Recycling Road On Fast Track6 Jun 2007, 0255 hrs IST, Megha Suri, TNN

NEW DELHI: That road repairs would invariably lead to traffic jams is a fact commuters in the city have long reconciled to. But not anymore. For the first time in the Capital, the Delhi government has decided to use a recycling technology that would enable the carpeted road to take the traffic load within a few hours of the completion of the work. In a first of its kind in the city, this environment-friendly recycling technology is being used to carpet the bumpy Mehrauli-Badarpur (MB) Road.
The 11.6-km road is being carpeted using the Canadian road recycling technology under which the asphalt of the top layer is heated and carefully removed. This is reused to make the new road unlike the generally used re-surfacing method in which another layer of asphalt is rolled onto the existing road.
From commuters' point of view, the road does not need to be closed for repair since only one lane is recycled at a time. The new road comes up faster and lasts longer too.
The project, which got the Delhi government's nod, is being carried out by Telcon Ecoroad Resurfaces Pvt Ltd (TERPL), a Tata associate company, in consultation with Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). Dr Sunil Bose, deputy director at CRRI, told Times City: "The new technology is suited for our conditions and is cost-effective and environment-friendly. It helps save the aggregate — different sizes of rocks — too."
The quantity of fresh aggregate and bitumen needed in the recycling process is about one-third, compared to overlaying, as a major quantity of asphalt is drawn from the recycled mix. This helps in conserving the environment because aggregate comes from cutting hills, and bitumen from crude oil — both of which are finite natural resources. Since 100% aggregate from the existing road is recycled, less trees will have to be cut to make roads, resulting in a major saving of natural resources.
In terms of cost, making a recycled road costs about Rs 250/sq m as against conventional overlaying at Rs 200/sq m. "Even though this seems more, recycling works out cheaper in the long run," said H K Sehgal, TERPL's chief operating officer.
Sehgal explained that in the conventional overlaying process, since new aggregate layers are added one after another, the height of the road gets increased over the years. Authorities need to raise the height of street furniture like traffic signals, streetlights and the central verge and footpaths after every few years, which is expensive. The new technology removes the top 60 mm of the road surface, so its height remains unaltered.
Resurfacing affects only the top 40 mm of a road, which forms part of the new layer. But if the road has deeper cracks, the new layer tends to develop potholes faster with load. In recycling, experts say, the road is heated which causes bitumen to creep into deeper cracks repairing them as well.
The new technology uses an assembly line of seven machines which are made to pass over the stretch in a line. And as the last machine, a road-roller, moves past, the road-recycling process is complete.
Each of the machines has a different role to perform. For the process, the top layer of the road — about 60 mm of asphalt — is heated by the first two machines. This is done to melt the bitumen in the asphalt mix so that the pieces of aggregate can be separated and used again. The next machine, a miller, cuts the surface and stores the asphalt mix removed from the worn-out road.
The material from the road is generally of reduced strength, compared to the norms prescribed by Indian Roads Congress, because of withering by use. The composition is rejuvenated by adding fresh bitumen and aggregate. The new mixture — approved after stringent lab and on-site tests — is put in a mixer, from where it flows on a paver machine, attached to the mixer. A conveyer belt on the paver dispenses the required quantity of recycled asphalt on the road. This is levelled by two road-rollers, with steel and rubber tyres. The new road is made at a speed of three metres per minute.
TERPL has made two roads using the same technology in Jamshedpur and Baroda. But Mehrauli-Badarpur Road is their first government road-recycling project in India. PWD engineer-in-chief R Subramanian said that the civic body is also going to remove all encroachments and mend broken footpaths.
And if the road passes the test, the government is planning to redo several other important corridors using the same technology before the Commonwealth Games.
megha.suri@timesgroup.com
Courtesy: Times of India

A cooking revolution now in India!

In an endeavour to address the increasing and harmful impact of Indoor Air Pollution in India, Envirofit today announced the launch of a range of clean burning biomass cookstoves in the country. Designed by an international team of globally recognized scientists and engineers, the cookstoves reduce toxic emissions by as much as 80%, while using 50% less fuel and reducing cooking cycle time by 40%. The cookstoves have been developed as a result of a partnership between Envirofit and Shell Foundation (UK) initially launched in 2007 to engineer and deliver clean burning biomass stoves that are affordable and attractive to people who are impacted by Indoor Air Pollution (IAP).

“Biomass (wood, crop waste and animal dung) is likely to remain the primary cooking fuel for a large majority of rural Indian households for many years to come. Against this background and the alarming number of annual of indoor air pollution-related deaths worldover, we are committed to developing products that will make a significant contribution to healthier and cleaner living,” said Harish Anchan, General Manager of Envirofit India Pvt Ltd. “Through the stoves we have developed, we are providing women an opportunity to continue to cook as they would before, but in an environment that is less polluting and hazardous.” Envirofit is a US based non profit corporation that designs, manufactures and markets world-class engineered technology products to improve the quality of human life across the globe.

The Envirofit cookstoves burn traditional biomass fuels and are engineered to emit significantly less toxic emissions and use less fuel. Built of durable, high-quality material and engineered to address the unique cooking habits of Indian women, the Envirofit cookstoves are a result of over five years of research and testing in coordination with internationally recognized academic institutions such as Colorado State University. Available in 5 models and priced between Rs 500/ and Rs 2000/, the cookstoves are currently available in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu and will be introduced in other states across the country in a phased manner. They are aesthetically designed with high-quality materials and available in a range of colours with single pot and multipot cooking options. The stoves have already successfully undergone pilot testing in Chitradurga and Dharmapuri. Certified under the most stringent environmental testing conditions in the USA, the cookstoves are currently awaiting BIS certification.

“Although cooking habits in semi-urban and rural India are steeped in tradition and perpetuated by myths, the response to our stoves has been very strong as each stove has been developed based on extensive market research and local customer insights,” said Harish Anchan. “We are in discussion with financing institutions for low cost financing options to provide additional options for families to buy the stoves.”

Envirofit cookstoves are now being made available in over 700 villages in Karnataka and 300 villages in Tamil Nadu through a multi-tier distribution strategy. Envirofit’s aim is to develop local and regional enterprises through the channel network so that the business becomes self sustaining. The current channel network in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu includes dealers, distributors, village entrepreneurs as well as not for profit organizations like MYRADA, the Tamil Nadu Foundation and the Cauvery Women’s Federation. Envirofit is targeting over 40 channel partners throughout the two states with roughly 600 outlets planned by the end of 2008. Significant business opportunities exist for local entrepreneurs, distributors, and retailers as Envirofit plans to increase its footprint across India by 2010.

“There are an estimated 1.6 million deaths per year due to toxic indoor air pollution (IAP). We are proud to be partnered with Envirofit International to introduce clean-burning wood stove technology in India while employing the first market-based business model,” said Ajit Abraham, Shell Foundation India who supports the project as part of their Breathing Space Program. ”The aim is to see 10 million stoves sold in five countries in the next five years.” Established by Shell Group in 2000 as an independent, UK registered charity, Shell Foundation’s mission is to develop, scale-up and promote enterprise-based solutions to the challenges arising from the impact of energy and globalization on poverty and the environment. The Breathing Space Program aims to achieve a significant long-term reduction in deaths related to IAP.

Globally, reliance on solid fuels is one of the 10 most important threats to public health. Indoor Air Pollution in India results from burning biomass (like wood, crop waste and animal dung) during cooking in the home. The toxic emissions and smoke from this cooking claims as many as 500,000 lives in India every year, most of whom are women and children due to their increased exposure in the home. One person around the world dies every 20 seconds from the cumulative effects of IAP, resulting in approximately 1.5 million deaths per year. India accounts for 80% of the 600,000 premature deaths that occur in south-east Asia annually due to exposure to IAP. The World Health Organisation estimates that pollution levels in rural Indian kitchens are 30 times higher than recommended levels and six times higher than air pollution levels found in New Delhi



- End -

About Envirofit

Founded in 2003, Envirofit International, Ltd. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation that develops engineered solutions to improve the human condition on a global scale, with a primary emphasis on applications in the developing world. Envirofit India Private Ltd was formed in 2007 to research, market and deliver clean burning cookstoves to the Indian market. Envirofit utilizes the same rigorous product-development methodology and protocols used in modern industry to develop and commercialize energy-efficient, pollution-reducing technologies that have the greatest potential positive impact on global environmental, economic, and public health issues. For more information, visit Envirofit International's website at http://www.envirofit.org or Envirofit International’s cookstoves website at http://www.envirofitcookstoves.org. For channel opportunities in India contact Envirofit India at 080 41153808 or 9343333722.

About Shell Foundation

Shell Foundation was established by Shell Group in 2000 as an independent, UK registered charity (no.1080999) operating with a global mandate. It focuses on enterprise-based solutions to poverty and environmental challenges linked to the impact of energy and globalisation. It acts like an investor, identifying financially sustainable solutions to these challenges that can be taken to scale and replicated to achieve global impact. By 2010 the Foundation will have used $75 milllion to leverage $350 million from other organizations.

Melissa Arulappan/ Vp & Director Devpt / Corporate Voice Weber Shandwick
Phone: 08025253891

Source/ Courtesy: India PRWire

Changes in project

Dear All

Due to some unexpected developments there are a lot of changes in the project and the management commitee. The changes are to discussed on Sunday, May 18, 2008 in delhi and the same shall be notified on this blogpost.

Building homes the green way

A CHANCE VISIT to an environment conference in 2000 changed P Surya Prakash’s vision. As managing partner of Hyderabad-based SatyaVani Homes, Praksh, an IITian with a civil engineering background, has been a part of SatyaVani's consulting wing dealing with power transmission and architectural designs. The environmental meet in Hyderabad made such an impact on him that he decided to devise a way by which he could enter the construction and realty development, incorporating the lessons he learnt in preserving the environment.
"I realised that being green is no more a luxury, it's a necessity,"says Surya Prakash. He decided to develop only "green projects". "To start off with, we are going in for equal built-up area to greenery ratio. For example, if we are building 4 million square feet, we are converting 4 million square feet to be green, " he adds. But this was no cake walk as greening projects are cost-intensive. Surya Prakash had to devise a business model which would benefit him as well as adhere to the green norms.
Even basic solar power installations cost five times more than conventional power sources.
He conducted R& D on business models for over a year to make his dream a reality.
"Around 600 tonnes of carbon are emitted per unit built; a green building can bring it down to 300 tonnes," says Surya Prakash.
SatyaVani Homes’ greening efforts start off with using recyclable material used during the construction of buildings. Surya Prakash says greening buildings is not just environmentally friendly, but also helps cuts costs.
This includes maintenance costs for the building and the cost of power for the customer.
To involve his clients totally in his green initiatives, SatyaVani Homes has decided to incentivise the customer by subsidising power for 25 years by Rs 18,000 per annum.
" We are planning to bring down connected power load, normal buildings need 12 MW of connected power. We are making this a zero carbon power. We call this green power," says Surya Prakash.
Clients will also be made to sign a green affidavit, ensuring them of 100 per cent environmental friendly habitation.
"By proper building orientation, strategic placing and choosing the right materials we can reduce heat," says Surya Prakash.
Other initiatives include having common laundry areas, using solar power to heat water, designing energy efficient water supply systems.
"Waste management is also a key area, " says Surya Prakash. Biodegradable waste is converted into manure, toxic waste is used as land fills, and the rest is recyclable.
SatyaVani homes has four projects at hand and seven in the pipeline. Surya Prakash also plans to set up 2000 green homes in Hyderabad by 2011, and another 3000 by 2013. Surya Prakash is bullish on the sector's outlook. "More than 50 per cent of Indian population is under 25, so the sector is demand driven, There is a five fold increase in middle class income. There is a correction happening, there is no cause for ?? concern," he says.
supriyaunni@mydigitalfc.com
EMAIL: supriyaunni@mydigitalfc.com
Weblink: http://e.mydigitalfc.com/Articletext.aspx?article=09_05_2008_122_004&mode=1

Housing – Indigenous Technology by G. Shanker

Architectural legacy of Kerala began centuries back. We have got one of the profound vernacular architectures in the world. Our traditional architecture always responds not only to the climate of the region but also to the social climate of the period. The architectural features were developed taking into consideration of the structural limitations or possibilities of our locally available building materials. Kerala’s rich depository of building materials helped the growth of architecture in the State. The texture, colour, durability and strength, insulation, ease of use etc. were the main criteria for selecting the materials and technologies. The local availability and the local skills were also key determinants to the selection process. Most of those houses had been built by those who lived in them, with the assistance of persons skilled in the use of materials from the milieu.

The vocabulary of basic building materials include wood, stone, laterate, lime and our own beautiful building-earth. All these materials have the quality to withstand the onslaught of nature. Various technologies were developed based on the structural characteristics of the materials. The traditional construction methods and materials developed over hundreds of years provide excellent thermal insulation and are cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Ingenious methods were developed to waterproof the base of walls and roofs from rain and snow. For instance, the large overhangs of our traditional homes always protected the walls from the direct hit of sun and rain, which helped to keep the interiors very cool. The windows and the doors always followed the cardinal principles of sutrams and marmams thereby Hari Peyad Building constructed with compressed hard brick (popularly known as interlock brick) ensuring good cross ventilation. The design


Housing Indigenous Technology

Fenistration of a two storied building of lattices, wooden jalis, trellis and other kinds of fenestrations, along with global ends facilitated good ventilation. They were also very strong aesthetic expressions of that time.

The concept of incremental housing is Kerala’s contribution to the world of architecture. Our forefathers had never ever struggled to make the buildings happen. They built with resources they had at hand. They always started with the concept of a whole house and expanded it as needs arose.

The traditional architecture also had answers to the local problems of construction. To combat the attack of ants and termites, we mixed lime with earth. Cashew-nut oil was used to preserve wood. Cut-straw was also used for construction with earth to minimise the cracks that appear on the walls. The rural stabilisers like sisal leaves, cow’s urine etc. were used to stabilise earth used for construction.

Our experience with modern materials like concrete and cement is fairly recent. Not enough time has elapsed to enable a proper evaluation and assessment of their Mud plastered walls of a residence

Sugathan Vattakkad Sugathan Vattakkad
The traditional architecture had answers to the local problems of construction. To combat the attack of ants and termites, we mixed lime with earth. Cashew-nut oil was used to preserve wood. Cut-straw was also used for earth construction to minimise the cracks that appear on the walls. And the ability to withstand nature. In fact many of the nouveau riche build cement villas show decaying already. On the other side, more than a century old monumental buildings like our administrative secretariat and much controversial Mullaperiyar dam, constructed using indigenous technology, still withstand climate.

Buildings and construction activities have a considerable bearing on our environment. As the state of environment decides the quality of our lives, and more importantly our common future itself, construction that does not upset the environmental balance is a theme that assumes greater importance day by day.

In this context, our ancestral concern with nature is also noteworthy. For example, asking the permission of a tree before felling. It was done in the form of a pooja to appease all forms of life depending the tree, including the tree’s own life. It was also mandatory to plant a seedling in the place of the tree felled.

Accumulating strength from traditional building techniques, the builders should give priority to earth constructions for affordable, ecologically sound houses. To build in tune with nature should be the mantra of making our own mansions.

(As conceived by B. Harikumar in a conversation with architect G. Shanker, Chairman, Habitat Technologies Group, Thiruvananthapuram. January 2007! KERALA CALLING)