CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu government has given its nod to the draft Tamil Nadu Affordable Urban Housing and Habitat Policy after it was revised as per the suggestions of the World Bank.
A government order signed by Housing Secretary Rajesh Lakhani on March 18, 2020, stated that the government has approved the Draft Tamil Nadu Affordable Urban Housing and Habitat Policy forwarded by the Joint Managing Director and Project Director (World Bank and Asian Development Bank Projects), Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board and decided to accept it and accordingly accord approval to the 'Tamil Nadu Affordable Urban Housing and Habitat Policy.'
The government's move to accord approval without proper public consultation drew criticism from the Information and Resource Centre for The Deprived Urban Communities (IRDUC) and other civil society organisations. Vanessa Peter of IRDUC said that the state government should withdraw the Tamil Nadu Affordable Urban Housing and Habitat Policy, which has been finalized and released without public and community consultation.
"On 28 January 2020, a consultant engaged by the World Bank to support the finalization of Tamil Nadu Urban Housing and Habitat Development Policy, invited IRCDUC for a discussion over the policy. On January 30, 2020, the consultant along with the Chief Community Development Officer, Project Management Unit, the TNSCB held the discussion during which IRCDUC reiterated the importance of involving communities in the policy-making process and prioritizing vulnerable communities in the housing programmes," says Vanessa.
On February 21, 2020, the Tamil Nadu Slum Clearance Board invited IRCDUC for a Stakeholder Consultation meeting to discuss the Draft Tamil Nadu Urban Housing and Habitat Policy (TNUHHP) at TNSCB office. During the consultation on February 27, 2020, IRCDUC pointed out several gaps in the consultation process. No minutes of the consultation meeting were circulated by TNSCB to the participants, nor was any updates provided regarding the finalization of the policy, she added.
Public housing addresses the needs of all income groups, with emphasis on the economically weaker sections. "There was no representation of any residents' welfare associations or community-based organisations in the process of policy formulation. The consultation process by TNSCB was carried out on February 27, 2020 and the policy was finalized on March 18, 2020. The response to IRCDUC dated March 11, 2020 stated that the policy was still in a draft stage. Why was there a rush to approve this policy undermining the democratic process of policymaking despite comments from the participants in the consultation to disclose the draft for comments in the public domain? Why was a major policy dealing with public housing not released formally but finalized and released as an addendum to a government order?" she added.
When The New Indian Express contacted a top official from the housing department, he said many consultations were done and the views of stakeholders were taken into account. "It has been circulated earlier and available with all. Many of the stakeholdees were part of the drafting committee," he said, rejecting the claims of the IRDUC. "Policy is dynamic and can evolve over a period of time. It is not a static document," he added.
The official said that the state government will institutionalize a permanent coordination mechanism with key stakeholders. The Tamil Nadu Housing Advisory Committee (TNHAC) will bring together stakeholders responsible for service delivery, housing programs, land, urban planning, as well as those from the real estate and developer industry, cooperative housing societies, academia, leading think tanks and the financial sector.
The TNHAC will include representation from civil society to capture the pulse and trends of the population. It will allow for continued feedback and course correction, leverage ideas and innovation from several fronts, improve transparency, inclusiveness, and accountability, he added.
As per the new policy, the state government envisions a robust market architecture where scarce fiscal resources are prioritized for the most vulnerable and the private sector (developers and financial institutions) brings expertise and capital to increase the housing options for all.
A fundamental shift in the policy, institutions, and regulations in Tamil Nadu's housing sector is needed to increase access to affordable housing in the state to meet the current and projected demand, states the new housing policy.