Maharashtra Cabinet approves new draft housing policy

Mumbai, Nov 1 (UNI) The Maharashtra Cabinet today approved a draft policy with the objective of providing affordable housing to economically weaker, low-income and middle-income sections of society.

The draft policy was announced by Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh to newspersons after the weekly Cabinet meeting here today.

The policy attempts to start a process of reform and liberalisation in the housing sector so that affordable accommodation is created on a large scale, the Chief Minister said.

The draft policy will be open to public debate for the next two months during which objections and suggestions will be invited, and, thereafter, the final draft will be prepared for implementation in the first week of January next year.

The new housing policy will be on the lines of the national housing policy, Mr Deshmukh said.

Rationalisation of the development control rules and streamlining of the building approval process are also the highlights of the draft policy.

The Chief Minister said it is proposed to introduce self-approval for housing schemes. The draft policy includes promotion of rental housing, sale-purchase of flats in accordance with the carpet area, creation of housing infrastructure fund and construction of transit shelters in large cities on a priority basis.

Special township scheme would be encouraged outside municipal areas of Mumbai while the Floor Space Index (FSI) is proposed to be increased from 0.5 to 1 in ''urbanisable'' zones.

The Government also announced a tourism and industrial policy with the aim of enhancing industrial growth to eight per cent by the year 2010.

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