https://indianmasterminds.com

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Light House Projects Can Be Replicated in Uttarakhand to Provide Affordable Housing for All: Sanjeev Chopra 

Indian Masterminds Stories

Some disquieting facts came to light in a policy dialogue held a few weeks ago in Dehradun, where a preliminary assessment of the housing shortage in Uttarakhand was discussed. It was estimated that over seven lakhs people in the state were living in sub optimal housing, mostly on encroached or unauthorised land, and some of the locations were also quite unsafe as they were on river banks, or in ecologically fragile areas. 

In an interaction with Indian Masterminds, former Director of LBSNAA, retired IAS officer of 1985 batch Dr Sanjeev Chopra, who settled down in Dehradun after retirement, said that although it was clear that many of the occupants would need to depend on social housing with affordable rents as well as options like dormitories, but at least 50 percent of those living in these dwellings were in a position to afford a one room BHK, provided the costs were reasonable and the payment spread out over a long tenure, say 15-20 years. He also briefly outlined how the state government can help in this regard.

PROVIDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING A CHALLENGE

Dr Chopra said that even though it is clear that Uttarakhand will be able to address the issue of poverty alleviation for all its citizens before it turns 25, the more formidable challenge will be that of affordable housing in the urban centres of Dehradun, Haridwar and US Nagar. 

Encroachment on a river bank in Dehradun

“The reason is that the housing stock, in addition to the backlog of shortages, is not keeping pace with the growing economic opportunities in these urban centres,” he said. 

He suggested that the state should replicate the Light House Challenge Projects being implemented in Agartala (Tripura), Ranchi (Jharkhand), Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), Indore (Madhya Pradesh), Rajkot (Gujarat) and Chennai (Tamil Nadu). 

UTTARAKHAND NOT PART OF LIGHT HOUSE CHALLENGE

Light House Projects are being built as part of the Global Housing Technology Challenge-India initiative under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation is promoting six Light House Projects (LHPs) as live laboratories for transfer of technology to the field. 

“Somehow, the state government could not get Uttarakhand included in the Light House Challenge Project of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation, which took up the challenge of building a thousand plus affordable one BHK flats in six cities in different regions of the country – Agartala, Ranchi, Lucknow, Indore, Rajkot and Chennai,” Dr Chopra said. 

He explained that the technologies used in each of the LHPs was different, but the bottom line was that the projects had to be completed in one year with a cap of Rs. 13 lakh for each unit. The competitive edge of the LHP is that it is earthquake resistant, environment friendly, durable, and prefabricated with adequate provision for air, light, water, internal roads, pathways, common green area, boundary wall, water supply, sewerage, drainage, rainwater harvesting, solar lighting, and external electrification. 

WHAT CAN BE DONE NOW?

According to Dr Chopra, the government of Uttarakhand could perhaps send a team to Agartala, whose topography is closest to Dehradun, as well as to Lucknow (for the US Nagar and Haridwar districts) and see if it would make sense to replicate the projects in three urban centres of the state. 

Dr Sanjeev Chopra in his office

“If the state could take up 25 LHPs each year for the next three years, the housing issue in the state would be more or less settled,” he said. 

He added that it is not necessary that the implementation has to be done by the government directly. In fact, it would be best if an SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) could be created – with government or municipal bodies offering the land, co-operatives and banks offering long term finance, CBRI Roorkee offering the technical support and the PMU of SPV ensuring that the timelines are adhered to. 

“Maybe, Uttarakhand @25 can also be the first state to set in motion a process which ensures affordable housing for all,” he said in conclusion.

(Dr Sanjeev Chopra is also Distinguished Fellow, USI, New Delhi, Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society of GB & I, London, HRA, LMFSAI, Harvard University, Historian, Columnist, and Festival Director, Valley of Words: International Literature & Arts Festival, Dehradun  www.valleyofwords.org)


Indian Masterminds Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Related Stories
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
NEWS
Mohan Yadav CM MP
Madhya Pradesh Aims to Be Global Wellness Hub: CM Mohan Yadav at Spiritual and Wellness Summit in Ujjain
UP Tourism
UP to Showcase Its Spiritual, Cultural Grandeur at PATA 2025 in Bangkok; Global Push for Tourism & Investment
Engineers India Limited EIL
Engineers India Ltd Expects 15–20% Rise in Turnover in FY26 Amid Record Order Book - Details Inside
BEL Bharat Electronics Limited
Bharat Electronics (BEL) & Tata Electronics Ink MoU to Boost Indigenous Semiconductor Solutions - Details Inside
Sanjay Malhotra IAS
RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra Cuts FY26 Inflation Forecast to 3.7%, Slashes Repo Rate to 5.5% - All Details Inside
ChhattisgarhGovt_resized
59 Police Officers Promoted in Chhattisgarh Police Department, Including 46 Inspectors to DSP Rank - Check Here
Hardeep S Puri: 11 Years of PM Modi
PM Modi’s 11 Years in Office: A Transformative Journey with Bold Strides in the Energy Sector
Karnataka
Karnataka ADGP Hemant Nimbalkar Transferred Amid Fallout from Bengaluru Stadium Stampede - All Details Here
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
Monika Singh’s Life Beyond the Bureaucracy | Video Interview 
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
Modernising Governance: A Digital Transformation in Gangtok
IMG-20250523-WA0036
Abhishek Singh's SECRET: Vipassana, Anthropology & Smart Answer Writing | Video Interview 
ADVERTISEMENT
UPSC Stories
Divyanshu Pal Nagar IFS
5 Years, 5 Mains, 4 Interviews: How Divyanshu Pal Nagar Stumbled in CSE, Triumphed in IFS - A Lesson for Every Aspirant
Divyanshu Pal Nagar’s inspiring five-year UPSC journey shows how perseverance, disciplined self-study,...
ANUBHAV SINGH UPSC IFS 2024
9 Years, 8 Attempts, 7 Failures: How Anubhav Singh Cracked UPSC IFS 2024 with AIR 3 Against All Odds | Exclusive
Anubhav Singh’s inspiring journey to UPSC IFS Rank 3 showcases relentless perseverance, strategic preparation,...
Jogender Sihag
“I Cleared UPSC, But My Grandfather isn’t Here to Hear it,” Jogender Sihag, AIR 521, UPSC CSE 2024
"Life is short; make the most of it, whether in civil service or any other field. Just have a clear vision...
Social Media
Tiger jump Sundarban
Stunning Viral Video Shows Royal Bengal Tiger Making Spectacular 30-Foot Leap Across River in Sunderbans - See It Here
Retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officer Susanta Nanda shared the clip online, which quickly went...
shubham kumar ias marriage
IAS Topper Weds BPSC Topper: Shubham Kumar Marries IRS Officer Priyangi Mehta in Patna; Wedding Video Goes Viral
Topper Couple Alert: Shubham Kumar, Priyangi Mehta’s Wedding Grabs Spotlight in Bihar
parveen kaswan elephant
Elephant Outsmarts Electric Fence! IFS Parveen Kaswan Shares Incredible Video!
In the now-viral 51-second clip, the intelligent giant approaches a wooden pole supporting high-voltage...
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Latest
Mohan Yadav CM MP
Madhya Pradesh Aims to Be Global Wellness Hub: CM Mohan Yadav at Spiritual and Wellness Summit in Ujjain
UP Tourism
UP to Showcase Its Spiritual, Cultural Grandeur at PATA 2025 in Bangkok; Global Push for Tourism & Investment
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Videos
Monika Singh
IAS Tushar G Nikhare
IMG-20250523-WA0036
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT