Odisha woos realtors with free land for affordable housing
BHUBANESWAR: To push the growth of the Covid-hit real estate sector in the state by attracting more investments and to promote affordable housing in urban areas, the state government has come up with a new set of reforms under the Odisha Development Authority (Planning and Building Standard) Rules, 2020.
Under the new building norms, the state government would give land to the realtors, free of cost, if they develop houses for the economically weaker sections (EWS) on 40% of that land and give it to the government for allotment to eligible beneficiaries. They can use the remaining 60% of land for high-end residential and commercial properties.
“The move aims to attract more private partners to come forward to collaborate with the state government in constructing affordable houses for the economically weaker section (EWS) and people from the low-income group. It is a significant step towards the ‘housing for all’ scheme in urban areas,” state housing and urban development minister Pratap Jena said. He added that Odisha is the first state in the country to take such a progressive initiative. While families with up to Rs 1.6 lakh annual income are considered to belong to the EWS, those up to Rs 6 lakh fall in the category of low-income group (LIG).
The new set of reforms provides several exemptions, relaxations and incentives on building norms that will result in easy planning, construction and occupancy. It has also introduced many reforms towards the mission of ‘housing for all’ by promoting public-private partnership.