HOUSING DEPARTMENT Government of West Bengal

Functions of Housing Department.

West Bengal comprises 2.7 per cent of the total area of the country but has about 8 percent of the population. In the 11thFive Year Plan (2007-12), the State Government's priority is to address the State's needs for affordable housing and in particular, construction of houses for the urban poor and for the economically weaker sections of the society. The Housing Department had a major challenge to provide affordable housing in view of the fact that the urban housing shortage in the state is about 1.15 million as compared to the national shortage of about 7.1 million and most of the people in the economically weaker section of society are in want of their own shelter.

Housing Department is entrusted with the noble mission to provide shelter to all classes of people belonging to the lowest rung to the topmost rung of the society. Since creation of the Department it's able management has successfully provided roof over the head of almost 34,000 families, scattered all over the State of West Bengal. Categorically, the Department's function may be broadly divided into two sectors - one is to construct flats and outright sell to eligible and prospective buyers and the other function is to constructs flats and rent it out and to maintain the same. Again the rental flat is of two types - one is absolutely meant for State Government Employees, who are allotted flats on joining the Government service or allotted on transfer from other places of posting. The other types of rental accommodation such as M.I.G., L.IG.etc. are allotted to common people who belong to those categories.

The social obligation is given the topmost priority in selecting the projects. Under the social upliftment programme a good number of accommodation has been provided to the people belong to economically weaker section of the society. Apart from these , hostel accommodation for working women and night shelters for waiting passengers at Bus Terminus and patient party at Hospitals are also included in the activity of the Department.

At present functions in nutshell:

1. Coordinate different line depts. for solving housing problem of different categories of people.

2. EWS housing scheme Gitanjali, Amar Thikana in collaboration of P&RD.

3. Housing for forest tribal villagers

4. Accommodation for govt. employees throughout the state including dists and sub-divs and maintenance.

5. Accommodation of Industrial workers, police and general people through LIG, MIG scheme and maintenance.

6. Accommodation for single working women in important town and cities.

7. Night shelters at bus stand and different hospitals and medical colleges.

8. Promoters act for regulating, promoting and boosting promoting activities.

9. Apartment ownership act for establishing the right of apartment ownership of housing complex build by different promoting agencies.

10. To solve accommodation problem of people in general through PPP model with nine joint venture companies and nine assisted sector companies.