Mumbai: Tilak Nagar housing society redvpt success story is national role model

The classic case of Safalya cooperative housing society in Tilak Nagar which won its case in the Supreme Court against the errant developer and pursuing selfredevelopment is being looked upon as a role model to encourage selfdevelopment and will be introduced in the training modules for the entire nationWith an urge to make affordable housing a reality the National Cooperative Union of India NCUI an apex cooperative organisation in the country has introduced the concept of selfdevelopment selfredevelopment in its latest training module on housing cooperatives According to Shreeprasad Parab expert director State Housing Federation ldquoImpressed with the successful cooperative movement of Safalya CHS the NCUI sought all the audit and court papers of Safalya CHS which they intend to introduce as a training module for cooperative societies across the country as a part of the training programrdquomidday in its news report dated April 29 2022 titled ldquoHousing society wins battle against errant developerrdquo had highlighted the Safalya CHS which emerged victorious after decadelong legal battle and is pursuing selfredevelopmentSafalya CHS in Tilak Nagar has now gone for selfredevelopmentldquoThe primary responsibility of the National Cooperative Resource Centre NCRC established by the National Cooperative Union of India NCUI is to function as a national resource for all cooperative education and training CET institutions The NCRC offers needbased information and knowledge to improve and build multifaceted capacities of cooperatives so as to develop them as competitive business enterprises and sustainable selfregulatory institutions said Sagar Wadkar adviser Research amp Study NCUI DelhiStakeholdersShruti Kulkarni research officer NCUI said ldquoThe development of this training module included a series of stakeholdersrsquo consultations These consultations were instrumental in shaping the content of the module by providing us with a better understanding of sector requirements and gaps at the field and operational levels especially NCUI recognizing the guidance of N S Mehara chief executive National Cooperative Housing Federation of India NCHFI New Delhi The leaders and officials from the district and state housing federations of Delhi Gujarat Karnataka Maharashtra Tamil Nadu Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal also contributed significantly and provided practical insights in finalising this firstofitskind standardised training modulerdquoSustainable urban devptAccording to Parab ldquoIndia is no exception to the global affordable housing crisis Millions of people in India are struggling to afford the skyrocketing house prices which is forcing them to leave their communities The concept of affordable housing in India involves providing reasonably priced residential units to the public at large This is achieved through government initiatives private sector involvement price controls policy reforms infrastructure development financial inclusion and a focus on sustainable urban developmentrdquoAlarming studyAccording to a study by the Indian Institute for Human Settlements in 2011 Indiarsquos urban landscape has changed significantly over the years In 1951 there were only five cities with more than a million people and 41 cities with over 01 million people However by 2011 there were three cities with populations exceeding 10 million and 53 cities with more than a million residents This trend of urbanization is expected to continue and by 2030 nearly 70 percent of new jobs will be in urban areas This will lead to over 40 per cent of Indiarsquos population living in citiesrdquo he saidSelf development neededAs there is little scope of horizontal development in urban cities due to limited land availability the only way to cater to the growing demand for housing is through vertical developments of the existing structures that are through redevelopment of the housing societies Thus to achieve the dual goals of development along with affordability the concept of self redevelopment is the need of the hourThe housing module consists of various topics such as introduction to housing cooperatives legal framework administration and management operational aspects financing strategies and the important topics of selfredevelopment and LEED certified development The housing module will be circulated throughout the country and also in the international markets enabling people to participate in the growth of the cooperative movement and make housing which the basic need of the people to be affordable and environmentally friendly developed Thus in real sense manifesting Shaker Se Samrudhirdquo said advocate Parab Safalya CHS has become a role model for self development as each member will be getting two adjacent flatsmdash a 2BHK of 531 sq ft and 1 BHK of 300 sq ft in the new 14storeyed tower The members earlier resided in a 200 sq ft tenement in a ground plus two storied structure When asked the reason for the same Parab said ldquoThis is done deliberately as smaller the family smaller the requirement of space Those who cannot afford society maintenance can rent out the adjacent flat Moreover the entire building will be constructed with the concept of Green building Ecofriendly and also have LEED Leadership in Energy and Environmental design Certificationrdquo said ParabAffordable housingThe NCUI was earlier of the view that the concept of affordable housing should be focusing on people from the lower income group who should move into an affordable house of approximately 25 square metres in lieu of benefits that the developer could avail under PMAY However the concept of selfdevelopment has brought a different twist into the concept of affordable housing where in by going for selfredevelopment ndash two goals could be achieved first is getting additional flat area and also to create additional flat stocks at a price lower than the existing market rate thereby making it a cooperative development in its true sense said Parab2 FlatsOf 531 sq ft and 300 sq ft area for each member of Safalya CHS