PMC to encourage affordable housing

In order to enable better access for slum-dwellers to housing units, Pune municipal corporation (PMC) plans to encourage affordable housing in the city. As part of the plan, the corporation proposed additional floor space index for small housing schemes in its new Development Plan (DP) for the old city area. The DP mentions that small houses should be constructed in the city and the Pune municipal corporation should encourage builders for such schemes. Affordable housing remains a distant dream for many in the city even though a sizeable 18 percent vacancy exists in the housing sector, a survey by the corporation shows. This vacancy, which is far higher than the state average of 12 percent, is despite the fact that more than 40 percent of the city's population lives in slums. That the number of slum-dwellers in the city has increased over the years is a reflection of housing options being way out of their reach. Pune city has notched up some impressive numbers in the last few years there has been a 30.34 percent growth in population in the last 10 years. Census data also shows that 60.88 percent people are concentrated in urban areas of Pune district, up from 58.08 percent in 2001. On the other hand, population in rural areas fell from 41.92 percent in 2001 to 39.11 percent in 2011.