Soon, a rental housing scheme for industrial workers in Haryana

GURUGRAM: To address the issue of dedicated residential areas for industrial workers in Haryana, the state government has decided to roll out an affordable rental housing policy.

Approving the policy proposed by the department of town and country planning (DTCP), the government has asked the department to roll out the scheme in all industrial belts.

Last month, the DTCP issued a notification announcing that the government has approved the policy either through the grant of CLU permissions for standalone projects or through “Rental Affordable Housing Sites” proposed as part of the residential component in the layout plan of Industrial colonies licenced under Act no. 8 of 1975. “The developer may either undertake its development itself or, alienate the same to any other agency for its development as per the policy parameters prescribed herein,” read the notification issued by the DTCP.

According to the officials, the policy was drafted last year and has now got a go-ahead from the government, asking the department to ensure its effective implementation. The officials have noted that the policy aims to facilitate the creation of affordable housing that can be provided on a rental basis to the industrial workers not willing to own an accommodation or living in cramped up areas owing to economic and social reasons.

“All units in the project whether residential or commercial can only be offered on rent either for short term (minimum one month) or for long term (one year or more. These units cannot be independently sold either under Haryana Apartment Ownership Act, 1983 or otherwise. Thus the entire project remains under undivided ownership for all the times to come,” said a senior DTCP official.

The policy further specifies that the area norms for such projects would be in the range of 0.5-4 acres and the area of dwelling shall range from 20sqm to 60sqm.

Industries, while welcoming the move, have argued that to make this policy a reality and feasible for both the workers and industries, a lot more needs to be done.