Haryana Govt Approves 19 Affordable Housing Projects In Gurgaon

Haryana’s department of town and country planning (DTCP) has issued licences to 19 affordable housing projects in Gurgaon, a move that will increase the supply of such units in a market known for its expensive properties. 

Last year, the DTCP had received 69 applications for affordable housing licences in Gurgaon. These applications were invited in early 2018 after the state had amended its Affordable Housing Policy 2013 in October 2017. Under the amendment, the government had extended the cap of 300 acre of land for such projects in Gurgaon to 1,935 acre. Of the 69 applications received by the department, 19 have been issued licences, 45 are under process while five have been rejected.

According to the latest amendment to the Gurgaon-Manesar Development Plan, 1,650 acre of land is reserved for affordable housing in the Gurgaon region that includes Gurgaon, Sohna and Gwalpahari. Under the plan, sectors 1-115 in Gurgaon will have around three lakh affordable units, Sohna will have over 48,000 units and Gwalpahari will have 2,700 units.

Meanwhile, the DTCP has also fixed affordable housing prices in different areas of Haryana.

The allotment price is inclusive of external development charges (EDC). However, it doesn’t include Central and state taxes such as the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and has to be borne by the homeowners. Builders can also charge Rs 500 per sq ft extra for balcony areas within or outside the area of an apartment unit.

Meanwhile, Haryana Real Estate Regulatory Authority has pointed out various shortcomings in the implementation of the affordable housing projects. These included, non-availability of application forms, overcharging for such forms, appointment of brokers for their sale, assured allotment etc. It also asked the developers to follow the norms set by the government or face penal action for violating the same. “Any promoter found violating provisions of the scheme may attract proceedings for revocation or cancellation of registration by HRERA as well as penal proceedings,” said KK Khandelwal, chairman, Haryana RERA.