States ready for Model Act
The Centre (Government) has invited comments from all the stakeholders and states on The Model Tenancy Act, 2019, which will be taken to the Cabinet as soon as possible.
“As of now, we have uploaded draft on our website for 21 days to invite comments, we have sent it to states and we are expecting their comments within 15 days, thereafter we will re-examine everything and will take it to the Cabinet,” said Durga Shanker Mishra, secretary, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
He delivered inaugural address at an ASSOCHAM Real Estate Summit on 12 July 2019.
“The Model Tenancy Act, 2019 once finalised and after Union Cabinet’s approval, will be shared with all the states, we have signed an MoU with all states under the Housing for All programme, as per which states would either amend their Acts or make a new Act.
“All the states are ready and they are awaiting this Model Act as it will be beneficial for them,” assured Mishra.
The proposed law, stressed Mishra, promotes a balanced, transparent and accountable relationship between the renter and the rentee based on the rent agreement. “This will give a boost to the rental market.”
The secretary also said that the facility for online building approval and completion certificate provided by urban local bodies (ULBs) would be made available in all cities across India within this year itself.
“We are trying our level best to ensure that within this year this seamless facility is extended across India through ULBs so that when you apply for building permission, you get the approval within 30 days and if you apply for completion certificate, you get the approval within 15 days,” he said.
“Online building permission system is, as of now, in 1,705 cities and in 11 states, and we will spread it across all cities in India by end of this year.”
The process will be a single-window system which would provide seamless facility and allay problems of people in terms of going to different places to seek permissions.
He also said that new houses are being constructed under various government schemes using different kinds of modern technologies and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is making efforts to further promote low-cost construction technologies.
“I have directed my team to very soon organise an exhibition to showcase how people across India have come up with various low-cost technologies to construct single or double storey houses to reduce the cost of construction leading to judicious use of resources,” said Mishra.
Lauding the efforts of real estate industry, the secretary said that realty sector is the key player in progress and transformation of country into a ‘New India,’ which is clean, free of corruption, without any type of indiscrimination and is full of hope and aspirations.
Besides, considering the importance of the sector in terms of contribution to the GDP, employment generation and other aspects, the government in the past five years took various decisions on policy front, programme and scheme levels and will further take steps in next five years, as efforts are still to revive this sector.
On the Real Estate Regulatory Authority (RERA), he said that it has ushered in accountability, transparency and honesty in real estate sector.
“We came up with a new law RERA in 2016 which is equally beneficial for all stakeholders be it homebuyers, builders, real estate agents and even the government.
“We are thinking about making amendments to this law as many people approach us in this regard,” he informed.
In his address at the ASSOCHAM summit, MP and India’s Sherpa to the G20, Suresh Prabhu, added: “Real estate is the only sector which can link manufacturing and services, and has the potential to provide huge job opportunities.” fiinews.com
