NOIDA: The Federation of Noida Residents Welfare Associations (FONRWA) has written a letter to UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, urging him to withdraw a scheme, launched earlier this year, under which housing plots lying idle are to be auctioned.
The residents pointed out that this would increase the rate of land in residential sectors and make them affordable only for the affluent few.
Highlighting how giving out plots through auctions in residential areas will lead to a rise in the price, which will be affordable only to the affluent section of the society, FONRWA president Yogendra Sharma said, “Instead, a lottery system would be more beneficial and fairer to all because as of now, only builders, affluent people, and those engaged in property business will benefit from the scheme.”
Sharma further said, “The applicant who pays the entire amount of the plot lump sum will be given priority in the allotment. Which middle-class family can afford such luxury?”
KK Jain, the general secretary, also stated that the Noida Authority hasn’t offered affordable housing or plots for 1BHK and 2BHK to labourers under the economically weaker section (EWS) category for quite some time now.
“Existing flats are too expensive, and new group housing projects offer mostly larger flats with three, four, or five bedrooms. Given that Noida attracts workers from smaller towns and individuals from low to middle-income backgrounds for employment, the steep prices of flats crush their dreams of owning a home. The plot auction scheme will only worsen their situation,” said Jain.
The FONRWA, representing more than 240 RWAs citywide, has appealed to the CM to instruct the Authority to prioritise building affordable homes for the impoverished and middle-class citizens under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana so that lower and middle-class individuals too can dream of owning a home.
