CHENNAI : While the city was ranked 14th in the Ease of Living Index 2018, put out by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, it was ranked a distant 70th under the ‘Housing and Inclusiveness’ category, among the 111 cities that were ranked. The category took into account the percentage of Slum/EWS (Economically Weaker Sections) households covered through formal or affordable housing and the percentage of slum areas covered through basic services, one of the core indicators. The reason for the low score could be traced back to the policy or the lack of it thereof, say experts.
“Inclusiveness is housing plus solutions and not just building houses. Here, Municipal Administration and Water Supply and the Housing and Urban Development departments are separate. Meanwhile, the social security schemes are with the district administration. The lack of coordination between departments could be an important reason,” said Vanessa Peter, policy researcher, Information and Resource Centre for the Deprived Urban Communities (IRCDUC).
“While we have constructed a number of houses, we have done it without actually framing a clear-cut policy,” she added.Aravind Unni of Indo- Global Social Service Society (IGSSS) said: “If you look at cities like Ghaziabad, there are a lot of empty houses; they offer a housing stock, especially for people belonging to economically weaker sections and the lower middle class.”