Construction of houses in public-private participation (PPP) mode is crucial to usher in affordable and sustainable housing, Minister for Revenue and Housing K. Rajan has said.
He was speaking at a workshop on ‘Empowering Kerala: Infrastructure financing and the road to affordable and sustainable housing’, organised here on Saturday by the Housing department in association with the Kerala State Housing Board (KSHB). Elaborating on the loan-linked subsidy programme, he said it could be availed by people having annual income up to ₹12 lakh. They would get 25% of the cost of construction or ₹3 lakh, whichever is lower, as subsidy.
Mr. Rajan exhorted stakeholders to focus on, sustainable construction methods like pre-casting and, energy efficiency. Citing the need for retirement homes for elderly people, he said the government had envisaged two such wellness centres, having library and other amenities since private players charged a premium for such facilities.
Principal Secretary (Revenue and Housing) Tinku Biswal cited the need for affordable and sustainable housing, particularly owing to minimal urban-rural disparity in Kerala, and to cater to the growing housing demands of the middle-income group in urban areas.
A presentation was made on the upcoming high-rises envisaged on 17.90 acres at Marine Drive that will have both accommodation units and commercial space spread over 44.40 lakh sq.ft.
Representatives of National Building Construction Corporation spoke of different types of sustainable construction methods that could be adopted. The glass fibre reinforced gypsum method can be opted for up to four floors. The monolithic method, which is more popular in India, is apt for taller structures and offers more seismic resistance than conventional modes of construction since the structure will have reinforced cement concrete walls. The relatively higher construction cost is compensated by considerable time saving and the availability of more carpet area, they added.
The other topics discussed included financing policies for housing schemes for the middle income group.
