Tangible policy framework for affordable housing in India: Analysis and policy Prescriptions

Provision of “affordable” housing is increasingly becoming an extremely challenging as well as complex issue. There is no tailor-made, well-defined definition of “affordable” where urban housing is concerned. Large metropolitan cities such as Kolkata, Mumbai, Delhi, and so forth, have teeming populations living in large slums. The Burrabazar or Bara Bazar area in Central Kolkata is extremely populous. This also shows how dire the necessity of proper shelter for these poor migrants as well as other laborers and poor of the area. A sample of 100 laborers (both migrants as well as locals) was selected randomly and surveyed with a questionnaire comprising 41 main questions from the Burrabazar area, starting from the Ganesh Talkies area. The respondents were semiskilled to unskilled workers involved in physically hazardous occupations like handheld rickshaw pullers, “mutiyahs,” manual scavengers, small deliverymen, domestic help, and so forth, mainly in the age group of 25–55 years. The entire sample survey was started and carried out in the month of February 2016 in all the wards of Burrabazar. A two-pronged approach is suggested as a remedy for this problem of an affordable place to stay. The first is to provide hostel-type “homes” where they will be able to stay in groups and obtain meals at cheap prices. It will be of a minimum value so that not only they obtain a safe and secure place to stay, and a bed but also at least a couple of healthy and nutritious meals as well as medicines (in times of emergency). The second option is “mobile homes.” This is not only a very interesting concept but is also extremely useful. Since these mobile homes can be moved they can be kept anywhere with proper permission from the municipality and the other concerned authorities, say the local police. But then, effective guidelines must be there to identify the beneficiaries properly.