The Indian Express | Gujarat has built over 1.63 lakh houses in 3 years: Official

Dec 25,2018

In the last three years, Gujarat has built over 1.63 lakh houses under the ‘Housing for All by 2022’ scheme and it has surpassed other states in constructing houses, said  Principal Secretary Urban Development department.

“As we speak today, approvals for building 3.75 lakh houses have been given and more than 1.63 lakh houses have been completed in the last three years. Again in terms of completed houses, this is the highest in the country, both in CLSS (Credit Linked Subsidy Scheme) and in the number of houses completed under ‘Housing For All’ in the last three years, Gujarat stands number one,” said Puri while speaking on his department’s plans for the Vibrant Gujarat Summit.

Puri, however, admitted that according to a survey carried out about two years ago, an estimated seven lakh houses needed to be constructed. “But there is a long way to go as more than 3 lakh houses are under construction,” Puri said, adding that the state government alone cannot fulfill the demand for houses in Gujarat and so is offering incentives like additional FSI to private developers. Ahead of the 2012 Assembly elections, the BJP had promised to build 50 lakh houses in the state, however, little is known about the outcome.

The state government official pointed out that as per projections, Gujarat’s urban population is expected to increase from 2.57 crore in 2011 to 3.4 crore in 2021, which will account for about 47 per cent of the state’s total population. However, the state does not seem to doing enough for providing public transportation.

“The biggest challenge is the number of personal vehicles that is increasing. It is a fact of life, so we need to promote public transport. About two years ago, there was little public transport in other cities of the state — 10 or 50 buses — except Ahmedabad. In the last two years, we targeted public transport and today Surat and Rajkot have BRTS,” Puri added.

In a seminar planned by Urban Development department during Vibrant Gujarat Summit next month, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri is likely to deliver a special address on January 19.