Housing in India

Overview of housing in India

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Housing in India varies from palaces of erstwhile maharajas, to modern apartment buildings in big cities, to tiny huts in far-flung villages. The Human Rights Measurement Initiative[1] finds that India is doing 60.9% of what should be possible at its level of income for the right to housing.[2]

## Low income housing

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According to the Times of India, "a majority of Indians have per capita space equivalent to or less than a 10 feet x 10 feet room for their living, sleeping, cooking, washing and toilet needs."[3] The average housing area is 103 sq ft per person in rural areas and 117 sq ft per person in urban areas.[3] 99 percent of rural households have access to electricity.[4] Although cities have better facilities than villages in the country, it is made sure that there is provision of a full-day water supply.[5] Almost all States such as Gujarat,[6] Madhya Pradesh,[7] Maharashtra, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and others provides a continuous power supply.

## Cities

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See also: List of most populous cities in India

### Mumbai

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The Imperial Towers, Mumbai are the 2nd tallest buildings in India.

Mumbai experiences similar urbanisation challenges as other fast growing cities in developing countries. There is a wide disparity in housing between the affluent, middle-income and low-income segments of the population.

Highly desirable neighborhoods such as Colaba, Malabar Hill, Marine Drive, Bandra and Juhu house professionals, industrialists, Bollywood movie stars and expatriates. Up-scale flats have 3 or more bedrooms, ocean views, tasteful interior decoration, parking for luxury cars and sleeping quarters for maids and cooks. In 2007, Mumbai condominiums were the priciest in the developing world at around US$9,000 to US$10,200 per square metre.[8] Mumbai has more than 1,500 high rise buildings, many of which are still in the planning stage, but some already constructed or under construction.[9][10]

Despite the recent economic growth, there is poverty and unemployment that exists as reflected by poor housing conditions for some sections of the population. With available space at a premium, working-class Mumbai residents often reside in cramped and basic quality, yet relatively expensive housing, usually far from workplaces. Despite this, Mumbai's economic boom continues to attract migrants in search of opportunities from across the country. The number of migrants to Mumbai from outside Maharashtra during the 1991–2001 decade was 1.12 million, which amounted to 54.8% of the net addition to the population of Mumbai.[11]

Over 7 million people, over 42% of the population of Mumbai, live in informal housing or slums, yet they cover only 6–8% of the city's land area.[12] [13][14][15][16] Slums were recognized as a problem as early as in 1919 by the Bombay Municipal Corporation.[17] Slum growth rate in Mumbai is greater than the general urban growth rate.[18] Financial Times writes that "Dharavi is the grand panjandrum of the Mumbai slums".[19] Dharavi, Asia's second-largest slum is located in central Mumbai and houses over 1 million people.[20] Slums are a growing tourist attraction in Mumbai.[19][21][22]

Most of the remaining live in chawls and on footpaths. Chawls are a quintessentially Mumbai phenomenon of multi-storied terrible quality tenements, typically a bit higher quality than slums. 80 per cent of chawls have only one room.[23] Pavement dwellers refers to Mumbai dwellings built on the footpaths/pavements of city streets.[24] Rent control laws have helped to create a housing shortage.[8] Most of the investors are looking to invest in ongoing real estate projects[25] to get maximum returns. The MMRDA has released the Mumbai Development Plan for 2034 which discusses means of creating affordable housing, including a criticised proposal to build on salt pan land.[26][27]

## Corruption

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See also: Licence Raj, Mafia Raj, and Corruption in India

There is a large developed housing market with major builders and promoters. Some municipal and other government officials, elected politicians, real estate developers and a few law enforcement officials, acquire, develop and sell land in illegal ways.[28] Sometimes, government land or land ostensibly acquired for some legitimate government purpose is then handed over to real estate developers who build commercial and residential properties and sell them in the open market, with the connivance of a small section of the administrative and police officials.[29] In one set of allegations in Karnataka, a lake was filled in and government buildings torn down after illegal transfers to a developer by mafia-connected officials.[30] Eminent domain laws, intended to procure private land at relatively low prices for public benefit or redistribution to poorer people under social justice programs, are abused to pressure existing landholders to sell land to a government entity, which transfers the land to developers at those low prices, and who in turn sell it back on the market at much higher prices.[31][32] The computerization of records relating to the classification of tracts and land ownership is a key tool in countering the illegal activities of land mafias, since it creates transparency on all information relating to a given parcel of land. This approach has been effective in Bangalore,[33] but efforts to extend it elsewhere have sometimes met with strong resistance by land mafias, manifesting itself as bureaucratic inaction.[34]

## Indian property bubble

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The Indian property bubble refers to the concern expressed by some Indian economists that housing market in some major Indian cities may be in a bubble. The real estate sector is thought to be collapsing due to increasing costs of financing. Real estate projects in India take a long time to complete due to a complicated and corrupt regulatory mechanism. Several of the India's publicly traded real estate firms are in debt. The inventory of unsold real estate assets is growing and it is expected the market will undergo price corrections.[35] According to Mumbai-based market research agency, Liases Foras, 30% of the transaction in the real estate sector is done with black money.[36] In September 2019, India announced that it will provide $1.41 billion of funds to boost affordable and middle income housing, as part of measures designed to aid India’s slowing economy.[37]

## Finance

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There are a variety of financial institutions providing home lending services to prospective buyers. The process is similar for consumers in India as it is in other countries with a mature housing finance industry.

Consumers need to prove the ability to repay and qualify based on a full picture of finances including proof of income and expenses. The largest lender in the country is Housing Development Finance Corporation.

Lenders require an Encumbrance Certificate for the prospective property, which verifies a clear title. Some lenders require the property to be RERA certified.[38]

## Technology

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Technology is widely used by both consumers and owners/property managers. Companies like OLX, Magic Bricks, Makaan.com, Quikr and 99acres allow for listings online of real estate for sale as well as rentals.[39]

## See also

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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Housing in India.

* Architecture of India
* Housing for All
* Indian states ranking by families owning house
* Illegal housing in India
* Ministry of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation
* Housing Development Finance Corporation
* RERA
* Digital India Land Record Modernization Programme
* Real-estate bubble
* Housing bubble
* 2000s United States housing bubble
* Chinese property bubble (2005–2011)

## References

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1. ^ "Human Rights Measurement Initiative – The first global initiative to track the human rights performance of countries". humanrightsmeasurement.org. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
2. ^ "India - HRMI Rights Tracker". rightstracker.org. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
3. ^ a b Thakur, Atul (25 November 2008). "33% of Indians live in less space than US prisoners". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
4. ^ "Reforming the Power Sector: Controlling Electricity Theft and Improving Revenue" (PDF). The World Bank. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 February 2009.
5. ^ "Development Policy Review". World Bank.
6. ^ "'Power-full' Gujarat gives 24-hour electricity". The Times of India. 4 May 2012. Archived from the original on 29 September 2013.
7. ^ "Madhya Pradesh goes the Gujarat way for power". Business Standard. 16 May 2013.
8. ^ a b "Mumbai housing is the priciest in the developing world". Global Property Guide.
9. ^ "Skyscrapers of Mumbai". Emporis.com. 15 June 2009. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
10. ^ "Skyscrapers of Navi Mumbai". Emporis.com. 15 June 2009. Archived from the original on 9 May 2005. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
11. ^ "HIGHLIGHTS OF ECONOMIC SURVEY OF MAHARASHTRA 2005–06" (PDF). DIRECTORATE OF ECONOMICS & STATISTICS, PLANNING DEPARTMENT, GOVERNMENT OF MAHARASHTRA, MUMBAI. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 February 2008. Retrieved 13 February 2008.
12. ^ "Boulevard Coast EC". Retrieved 4 July 2025.
13. ^ SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg, Germany (28 February 2007). "The Paradox of Mumbai: Slums, Stocks, Stars and the New India". SPIEGEL ONLINE. Retrieved 29 July 2015.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. ^ "Microsoft Word - 36int.doc" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 June 2011. Retrieved 12 August 2010.
15. ^ "Mumbai, India, development incomplete with 62 percent living in slums". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015.
16. ^ &Apos, And (27 February 2005). "Whose city is it anyway? – Present slum area not more than eight per cent of total land?". Calcutta, India: The Telegraph India. Archived from the original on 5 April 2005.
17. ^ "From the Archives (July 9, 1919): Housing in Bombay". The Hindu. 9 July 2019. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 25 July 2019.
18. ^ "Slums". Archived from the original on 10 December 2010. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
19. ^ a b "A walking tour around the slums of Mumbai". Financial Times. 6 February 2009.
20. ^ "Dharavi". Archived from the original on 22 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2015.
21. ^ "Amid the skyscrapers, slum tourism". The Telegraph. Calcutta, India. 24 August 2006. Archived from the original on 11 October 2007.
22. ^ "'Slumdog Millionaire' boosts Mumbai's 'slum tourism' industry". ExpressIndia. 22 January 2009.
23. ^ Date, Vidyadhar (15 May 2002). "Slum upgradation beneficial than rehabilitation: Report". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012.
24. ^ Sundar Burra; Liz Riley (1999). "Electricity to pavement dwellers in Mumbai" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 September 2016.
25. ^ "Residential Projects in Mumbai - Dynamix Group". Retrieved 9 March 2021.
26. ^ Kumar, Krishna; Babar, Kailash (26 April 2018). "Mumbai Development Plan 2034 puts focus on affordable homes and job creation". The Economic Times. Retrieved 31 May 2018.
27. ^ "Total Population, Slum Population..." Archived from the original on 6 August 2007.. Census of India, 2001. 2006. Government of India.
28. ^ K.R. Gupta and J.R. Gupta, "Indian Economy, Vol# 2", Atlantic Publishers & Distributors, 2008, ISBN 81-269-0926-9. Snippet: ... the land market already stands subverted and an active land mafia has already been created ...
29. ^ "India after busting land mafia organised crime involving former government officials and apartment developers". India Daily. 1 August 2005. Archived from the original on 22 August 2007. Retrieved 30 October 2008. Snippet: ... Low priced subsidised land is being illegally developed ... permits are obtained illegally through a network of mafia style operators that involved the under world, former Indian Administrative Service officers and even the cops ... alleged misappropriation of land in the name of CGHS and selling them at very high rates after construction of flats ...
30. ^ "Land mafia buries lake, encroaches govt land". Deccan Herald. 10 October 2005. Archived from the original on 16 April 2009. Retrieved 30 October 2008. Snippet: ... The watershed department had built a check dam at a cost of Rs 1.5 lakh in 2006 to improve the groundwater level. But the land mafia has taken things into its own hands and got it covered ...
31. ^ N. Vital, "India: Technology and a vision for the future", The Icfai University Press, 2004, ISBN 81-7881-346-7. Snippet: ... Another law which had a totally contradictory impact was the Urban Land Ceiling Act which provided tremendous opportunity for the land mafia. The poor people who were supposed to benefit in the process were nowhere to be seen. ...
32. ^ Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Narayana Madhava Ghatate, "Decisive Days", Shipra Publications, 1999. Snippet: ... In villages on the outskirts of the cities, land is being grabbed by force by the lathi-wielding miscreants. This land is public land. Skyscrapers are being built ...
33. ^ N. Vittal, "Roots of Effective Governance", Icfai University Press, 2007, ISBN 81-314-1156-7. Snippet: ... transparency ... was introduced in allotment of sites. The element of discretion involved in this process was removed. The whole system was totally computerized. The allotment details were published on the website and the lease cum-sale agreement was done away with. Absolute sale deeds were issued ...
34. ^ "A State Unimagined in Law: A Wrong Without a Remedy". Arun Shourie. 26 May 2008. Retrieved 30 October 2008. Snippet: ... For this purpose the Center formulated a scheme for the computerisation of land records. It pledged to meet the entire expense of the task. About Rs 5 crores have been given to the State (Bihar) for this purpose; it has been able to utilize only Rs 22 lakhs! The target is that by December next year there shall be one hundred per cent coverage of “Jot Bahi/Khatta”: actual coverage till now? Ten per cent. ...
35. ^ "A Housing Slump in India". The New York Times. 10 September 2013. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
36. ^ "Modi's 'Black Money' Crusade Looms Over Property Bubble". Bloomberg News. 19 March 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2015.
37. ^ "India to provide $1.4 billion to boost affordable, mid-income housing". Reuters. 14 September 2019. Retrieved 17 September 2019.
38. ^ "Rera: RERA Act, simplified - Bangalore Mirror".
39. ^ Goyal, Vineet. "How technology is revolutionizing real estate in India". The Times of India.

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