100 days for Real Estate Reforms

By Murari Chaturvedi

Minister for Urban Development and Poverty Elevation, Kumari Selja declared 100 days schedule for real estate reforms few months back. The agenda for real estate reforms included many ideas after consultation with industry and planning authorities. It was indeed a move which was much expected. Right from sheltering Urban poor to spreading infrastructure spectrum to villages, government gave a ray of hope to millions of urban poor and rural population to possess a home. After 60 odd years of independence, Indian governance never took the growing and inclusive growth of demand for homes seriously. Plans after Plan and Union Budget after Union budget, the allocation for housing poor reduced and demand increased multi fold which now, it seems, cannot be arrested.

It is the prerogative of government to provide houses through its policies and as a facilitator. Private developers work for profits, but natural, but policy makers have forgotten the magnitudes of the problem of shelterlessness.

100 days starts when? Is the question asked by the people of India. The reforms policies were adopted, National Housing and Urban Policy in 1998 and National Urban Housing and Habitat Policy in 2007 were adopted but with no execution plan. Rationalisation of Stamp Duty, one of the major point in the policy, never addressed to. The reforms declared under 100 days programme which already included in other policies declared by the government like Indira Awas Yojna, Valmiki Ambedkar Yojana and Pradhanmantri Gram Sudhar Yojna in union budgets, included as reform agenda for the 100 days reforms in real estate.

We are still waiting for these 100 days to start at once. Policies are made but what is the use if they are not implemented? Real Estate sector is asking industry status since long but in spite of knowing its contribution to GDP, exchequers are in hibernation for sixty odd years. Land Policy, Slum Policy, SEZ policy and National Housing Policy are just waiting in for years of implementation.

After all, nothing materialize with out a political will. The clear mandate was given to the government to implement much awaited reforms in real estate sector. We all hope that 100 days of reforms should start at once to arrest the growing social unrest to occupy a space called home.