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Maharashtra’s Housing Policy 2023 is set to revolutionise affordable housing by emphasising inclusivity and sustainability. Key initiatives include the development of quality living spaces for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Groups (LIG) through government partnerships and incentives for green buildings, alongside efforts to integrate transit-oriented development in emerging urban areas, shares Smt. Valsa R. Nair Singh, IAS, Additional Chief Secretary, Housing Department, Government of Maharashtra, in an exclusive conservation with Puja Banerjee, Senior Assistant Editor of Elets News Network (ENN).

With the Maharashtra Housing Policy 2023 placing a strong emphasis on inclusivity and affordable housing, could you elaborate on the strategies and initiatives the government is implementing to ensure that these policies translate into accessible and quality living spaces for the economically weaker sections of society?

We understand that the state has a more significant role in providing housing for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) and Lower Income Groups (LIG). In contrast, it can be a supportive/ enabler in the case of Middle-Income Groups (MIG). The policy has introduced several measures to ensure accessible and quality housing is available for economically weaker sections.

Government agencies such as MHADA, MahaHousing, etc., are adding a substantial stock of housing for Economically Disadvantaged Sections and Lower Income Groups. To make these projects viable, the government has introduced partnership models (PPP and JV) with private developers.

There are mandatory provisions for inclusive housing in large projects and affordable housing in integrated townships. These provisions make affordable housing for EWS and LIG available by capturing housing created by the private market.

There is a great thrust for affordable rental housing at the national level. The state has also introduced various measures to encourage rental housing for vulnerable society groups.

The ‘Third Mumbai’ conceptualisation around the Navi Mumbai International Airport, supported by projects like the MTHL, aims to address congestion and enhance connectivity. How does the Housing Department plan to align with this vision by integrating sustainable housing developments in these newly emerging urban areas?

The concept of ‘Third Mumbai’ is much appreciated and will surely solve the housing shortage problem and affordability in adjacent large cities such as Mumbai and Navi Mumbai. Such projects offer an opportunity to implement innovative ideas in planning and development, but we need to be careful of the environmental challenges that these significant developments pose.

In India, the building sector is the second highest contributor to energy consumption after industries and a significant contributor to Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions due to this energy consumption. This, combined with increasing urbanisation and the rising demand for affordable housing, points to the need to make the upcoming buildings environmentally sustainable and energy efficient.

Sustainability is one of the essential principles of the proposed housing policy. The state has always been proactive in taking initiatives to ensure that the housing being built in the state is environmentally sustainable. This is achieved through various mandatory UDCPR and FSI regulations and incentives for green buildings. To further strengthen these efforts, the state housing policy (draft) proposes the following measures:

• Adoption of Eco-Niwas Samhita: The Eco-Niwas Samhita (energy conservation building code for residential buildings published by the Bureau of Energy Efficiency) will be made mandatory for all affordable housing projects coming up under the state policy whenever notified by the state government.
• Sustainable materials: All projects should use locally available, sustainable, and disaster-resilient materials.
• Energy-efficient appliances: The authorities building public housing can procure energy-efficient appliances, such as BLDC (Brushless Direct Current) fans, etc., in bulk and install them in affordable housing projects.
• Measures to ensure thermal comfort: Eco-Niwas Samhita sets standards for building roofs, walls, and fenestration (openings such as windows, doors, vents) to limit heat gains (for cooling-dominated climates) and heat loss (for heatingdominated climates) and to ensure adequate natural ventilation and daylighting potential.
• Incentives for operation and maintenance of green buildings: To ensure continuous operation and maintenance of green building components such as Rainwater Harvesting, Sewage Treatment Plants, Solar Panels, and Solid waste management systems, local bodies can roll out initiatives such as property tax rebates for buildings maintaining these components.
• Installation of solar PV panels: The government of India extensively focuses on using solar energy. The state government has also made it mandatory for projects on plots above 4,000 sq. mt to provide solar water heating (SWH) and rooftop photovoltaic (RTPV) systems. In addition to this, the Government shall make it mandatory for all the projects housing more than 5,000 dwelling units and all the township projects to install Grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic systems with the aim of neutral billing.

Given Mumbai’s significant population density and the challenges posed by its geographical constraints, how is the Housing Department addressing the acute shortage of affordable housing in the city, particularly for middleincome, lower-income, and economically weaker sections?

To address the acute shortage of affordable housing in the city, the Housing Department is keen on adopting strategies for identifying land parcels suitable for housing, optimum use of available land, incentivising redevelopment of old and dilapidated buildings, inclusive housing, mandatory provision of affordable housing in large township projects, etc.

The Housing Department intends to create a database of landbanks available to various government departments for housing development. This database can provide information related to land use, permissible FSI, connectivity to transport, and physical and social infrastructure.

Redevelopment and re-densification play an essential role in development in cities like Mumbai; hence, we facilitate redevelopment by providing incentives. We are focusing on redevelopment strategies, such as cluster redevelopment, that can address the city’s housing problem. Cluster redevelopment/ urban renewal aims at urban regeneration and redevelopment of old, dilapidated buildings in a cluster, densification, rejuvenating infrastructure, and enhancing the overall quality of life.

Also Read | Maharashtra Housing Initiatives Aim to Ensure Affordable, Sustainable, and Inclusive Living for All

Some examples of such cluster redevelopments are the Bhindi Bazar Redevelopment and Kamathipura Redevelopment.

When it comes to housing for middle-income groups, it has become essential that we address the acute accommodation problem they face in urban areas. When affordable housing units for MIG are not available in the market, they tend to accommodate the units developed for lower-income groups, causing a housing shortage for those income groups. Hence, MIG’s housing needs must be duly addressed.

The Government of India has recently announced the ‘Middleclass housing scheme’ as part of the fiscal year 2024-25 budget. This scheme intends to support deserving middle-class sections “living in rented houses, or slums, or chawls and unauthorised colonies to buy or build their own houses.” The state will formulate a policy in line with the central scheme. The state government will not directly provide MIG housing, but it will encourage and enable private markets to provide affordable housing for the MIG segment.

Slum rehabilitation remains a critical issue in Mumbai, with a large portion of the population residing in inadequate conditions. Could you provide insights into the current status of the Slum Rehabilitation Authority’s initiatives, especially in light of the financial challenges posed by the pandemic, and how the government plans to expedite these stalled projects?

To improve the quality of life, SRA is implementing some measures like:

• Under PMAY (Government of India), the tenement size is 300 sqft, and for ceased structures, the Government of Maharashtra is offering a (300 sqft + 105 sqft) tenement.
• Earlier, the density of slum structures was considered for calculation as 500 structures/ha, and now, as per DCPR 2034, the same is 650/ha even though SRA is facing difficulties due to high-density slums, which have about 800 structures/ha.
• To be eligible for the SRA scheme, slum dwellers must have lived in the slum before January 1, 2000. However, under the Sashulk policy (eligibility with Payment), we have extended eligibility at a nominal charge for structures existing between 2000 and 2011. This initiative extends the benefits of the schemes to a larger population living in inadequate/ substandard housing.
• The developer is mandated to ensure that the Structure and quality of materials used in rehab components are similar to those used in sales components.
• To ensure transit accommodation, developers must deposit two months’ transit rent in advance and one year’s rent in post-dated cheques.

To overcome the challenges posed after the pandemic, a few of the initiatives taken by SRA in the last two years for easy implementation of slum rehabilitation schemes:

• Out of stalled schemes, a few were allocated to new developers, and about 228 were allocated to Government agencies like MCGM, MHADA, MSRDC, CIDCO, MAHPRIT, and MMRDA under the Joint Venture policy.
• There is a push to encourage more public-private partnerships to bring in additional resources and expertise. The government hopes to revive and complete stalled projects by involving private developers with strong financial backing.
• GIS mapping of 16,50,000 slum structures and biometric data collection database and eligibility of slum structures to increase transparency and accountability within the SRA through digitalisation.
• The government also emphasizes the importance of community participation in the slum rehabilitation process. By addressing the concerns and needs of slum dwellers, the government aims to secure their cooperation, which is crucial for the smooth execution of these projects. l To date, SRA has collected an approximate amount of Rs. 700 crore pending rent collection through developers by applying Circular No. 210.
• It has been pointed out in many schemes that the developer has caused an unreasonable delay in the construction of rehabilitation buildings. We have proposed disciplinary action against developers who are delaying the completion of projects. It is suggested that while making the LOI, it should include a condition mandating obtaining the commencement certificate within a specified period, and failure to obtain the commencement certificate within the specified period shall result in a reduction of the incentive carpet area index. Reducing the incentive carpet area index will undoubtedly act as a deterrent measure.
• The SRA is currently a facilitator between slum dwellers and developers for slum redevelopment. However, many slum rehabilitation projects have been stalled for years due to developers or other reasons. The SRA has proposed to act as a developer in connection with slum rehabilitation schemes on public land.
• The redevelopment of Ramabai Nagai in Mumbai was recently announced, and the SRA and MMRDA are undertaking it.

The MMRDA’s ambitious plan to develop a 337 km Metro network will soon position Mumbai as the city with the world’s largest metro network. How is the Housing Department coordinating with transportation infrastructure projects like these to ensure the development of integrated, transit-oriented housing that caters to the growing urban population?

Transit-oriented development (TOD) promotes compact, mixeduse, pedestrian—and bicycle-friendly urban development that integrates jobs, housing, services, and amenities. It is also closely integrated with public transportation.

Affordable housing combined with TOD can provide significant social, economic, and environmental benefits. Access to affordable housing near transport hubs is essential for lowincome households as it reduces transport costs. Additionally, it improves access to employment and essential services and promotes social inclusion.

The following measures will be taken to promote affordable housing in TOD areas:

• Demarcation of TOD areas in Development plans
• Provision of additional FSI in TOD areas
• A certain percentage of units mandatorily reserved for EWS and LIG households
• Discount in premium FSI charges

The Maharashtra government has led urban development, with major projects like the Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway and Coastal Roads enhancing connectivity across the state. How is the Housing Department contributing to the broader goal of sustainable urban development in Maharashtra, particularly in terms of promoting ecofriendly housing and reducing the environmental impact of urbanisation?

As discussed earlier, the state housing policy (draft) proposes several measures to promote eco-friendly housing.

• Green buildings are incentivised by providing additional FSI based on certification level.
• The housing built under the state housing policy will mandatorily have to adopt Eco-Niwas Samhita whenever notified by the State Government. These projects will use locally available, sustainable and disaster-resilient materials.
• The operation and maintenance of green building components, such as Rainwater Harvesting, Sewage Treatment Plants, Solar Panels, and Solid waste management systems, are crucial and will be promoted through public awareness and incentives.
• The Government will make it mandatory for all the projects housing more than 5,000 dwelling units and all the township projects to install Grid-connected Solar Photovoltaic systems with the aim of neutral billing.
• The concepts of ‘TOD’ and ‘Walk-to-work’ are also crucial in the context of urbanisation. In addition to these concepts’ social benefits, they are also responsible for reducing carbon emissions by decreasing dependency on private motorised transport and longer commutes.

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