J K Administrative Council accords sanction to policy on affordable housing

     Srinagar, Jul 17 (PTI) The Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council (AC), which met here under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor G C Murmu on Friday, accorded sanction to a policy on affordable housing, including slum development, in the Union territory.
     The Council approved adoption and notification of the J&K Housing, Affordable Housing, Slum Redevelopment and Rehabilitation and Township Policy, 2020.
     "The policy envisages seven models of housing, ranging from in-situ slum redevelopment to integrated township, to cater to the need of every section of society," an official spokesperson said.
     The new policy aims at promoting public-private partnerships for affordable housing and slum rehabilitation projects and provides platform for operation and maintenance of integrated/ special townships in a cooperative manner, he said.
     The spokesperson said the policy includes minimum relocation of existing slum dwellers so as to maintain sanctity of existing economic and social linkages developed over a period of time in these informal settlements.
     "Additionally, the policy also includes provisions for fast track approvals of housing in economically weaker section (EWS) and low-income group (LIG) categories. Besides, it provides for their incentivisation in the form of exemptions from building permit fee, land use conversion and external development charges," he added.
     The policy also aims to provide rental housing, in which EWS families will be given dwelling unit on a licence basis for occupation and use for a particular period on making initial deposit and monthly charges, the spokesperson said.
     The policy has been approved under the broader vision of meeting the growing requirement for affordable housing, slum redevelopment and rehabilitation and rental housing, for which an initial target has been set for construction of one lakh dwelling units over the next five years, he added. PTI MIJ HRS

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)