Housing is very expensive mainly for three reasons. The land cost in
India is very high. We need to go through
the reasons why the land cost is very high.
Secondly, construction
cost is also high. It’s not as high as compared to other parts in the
world, but thzt is also because the quality of construction overseas is a
lot better. Quality in Indi has been improving lately, but not to the
level where the costs can be justified.
Third, is the cost
and time involved in getting sanctions from the government, and the
amount which the developer and the architect have to spend for speeding
up the work.
Why land cost is very high? It is because
the return on FSI [floor space index, a ratio which determines how much
floor space you can have as a proportion of the land area] is low . If
you look at Dubai, Hong Kong and other countries, FSI starts from 4 and
goes up to 20 – in some countries it remains unrestricted. So FSI should
be increased, so the cost of the flat or commercial areas can come
down.In Kolhapur city the FSI ranges from 0.8 to 1.5 depending on the type of property and location of use and can by increased by some value by paying money for the transfer of development (TDR) with a floor limit restriction of 11 floors only.
Then there are many restricted areas, land which is in
possession of MHADA [Maharashtra Housing & Area Development
Authority] that should be opened up in a
proper way. SRA [Slum Rehabilitation Authority] schemes should be
developed in a proper way whereby the benefit goes to the occupants, the
government , to the land owners,to the flat purchasers, and also to
developers or builders.
Then there is the
construction cost factor. The government can reduce taxes and the
restrictions on cement and steel. That will reduce construction costs. And
lastly, there is an interest cost for the time taken in getting all of
the sanctions of the projects, which ultimately is passed on to flat or
office purchasers. If that the procedures are shortened, then the cost
will reduce, and ultimately it will bring the prices down.
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