Housing vision 2021!
The subject which was stated in the budget has been mentioned in all dailies on 12th June. The proposal within the timeframe, appears fairly large, and not limited to building flats only for the 26,000 flats. In addition the 22,800 plots having eight flats per plot on an average will have another 1,82,400 flats if I understand correctly. Together the number of flats to be built exceeds 2,10,000 within the next twenty-one years!
This averages to building a minimum of 10,000 flats regularly every year. However, just building the flats will not help. For providing needed services, to make the flats habitable, electric power, potable water, LPG or piped natural gas for cooking, drainage, sewerage and affluent disposal needs are to be met. Both the quantum of work, and funds needed for all these ancillary works will be quite substantial!
On the basis of providing average 10KW of power and 1000 litre potable water per flat; we will need to provide 100MW of electric power every year to make the residences habitable and 10 million litre of potable water regularly on an annual basis! One wonders if we have the physical and financial capability to sustain such a pace of progress continually for the next 21 years? Mind you; this does not include the infrastructure related to the project, like roads, street lighting, drainage and sewerage links which are essential prerequisites!
The ideas presented, are sound, the objectives lofty, but the big question is can we sustain it.
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