Affordable mass housing in Pune

In a move to make housing affordable to the lower middle-class, the PMC will offer builders 2.5 Floor Space Index (FSI) for flats of 300 square feet (carpet area) in residential zones. A proposal in this regard, tabled by corporators Nilesh Nikam, Ujwal Keskar, Chandrakant Mokate, Subhash Jagtap and Arun Dhimdhime, was unanimously approved by the civic general body.It will now be sent to the state government for final approval. Nikam said that a large number of people from the service class come to Pune in search of employment as more industries are being set up in and around the city. “These people usually don’t find an affordable place to stay because flats of 1,000 square feet area and above are being constructed. These people are then forced to stay in slums as such big houses are out of their reach. Builders should, therefore, be encouraged to construct houses of 300 sq. ft area, for which they will be allowed 2.5 FSI,” he said. Nikam said such a move would also help in the redevelopment of wadas, most of which are in a dilapidated condition, as builders would find it feasible to take up such projects. According to the proposal, certain conditions have been laid down so that builders don’t misuse the incentive. One of the conditions is that in one housing project, there should not be even one tenement of more than 300 square feet and that permission should not be given to combine two tenements.