The Confederation of Real Estate Developers’ Association of India (CREDAI), Bengal has proposed 10 satellite townships to meet housing challenges caused due to rapid urbanization.
Speaking at a public forum in the presence of state Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim on Saturday, September 3, CREDAI, Bengal chapter President Pradeep Sureka said the industry was keen to set up five mini-satellite townships within 15 km of Kolkata and five more in rest of the state.
“There’s an urgent need to develop housing stock to meet the needs of a burgeoning urban population. We want to partner with the Government in finding solutions. A working group committee comprising Government and industry representatives is being set up to chalk out modalities on the types of lands that can be purchased and the possible locations,” Sureka said.
Apart from key players from the real estate industry, officials from departments like land reforms and urban development as well as Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) and Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) are also likely to participate in the discussion on government policy on land for housing will first be laid on the table. Based on this, CREDAI members will propose schemes.
“Once we know the kind of land that we can purchase and their probable locations, we can go ahead with the projects. On an average, we are looking for 500-1,000 acre of non-agricultural land for housing development. Of course, if we are to directly buy land, the Urban Land Ceiling Act has to be removed,” Sureka pointed out.
Of the 10 locations that the industry is keen on including are two areas in Howrah and one each in Joka, Kalyani (Jessore Road) and Baruipur. Of the remaining five in the state, likely locations include Durgapur, Siliguri and Raghunathpur in Purulia.
In each case, the three critical factors that will determine the choice are land availability, infrastructure readiness and ease of connectivity.
Acknowledging the need to fast-track housing development in the state, the urban development minister Firhad Hakim said the three-month-old Government required some time to assess the sector.
“We want to join hands with the industry but in a manner that is transparent. So far as infrastructure development goes, there is no two ways about the need for better infrastructure in New Town. Since we have shifted the township development authority from the housing department to urban development, We can apply for funds under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission scheme,” said Hakim.
