"Nobody comes to India to do charity; everybody comes for profit. Those who believe economic liberalisation will usher in a miracle is either living in a fool's paradise or else trying to mislead the countrymen," he said in a highly-emotionally charged speech at the National Housing Seminar on "Adequate Shelter for all" in Delhi yesterday.
Gowda launched a scathing attack on the politicians and bureaucrats who live in sprawling farm houses around Delhi and blasted financial institutions and insurance companies for not extending adequate funds to provide adequate housing to the needy sections.
Making a radical suggestion in his extempore speech, Gowda said the authorities should impose a 1 per cent surcharge at the time of approving plans for houses where investment crosses Rs 20 lakh. This could be used to create a corpus for a proposed National Fund for the shelterless.
He also criticised the Life Insurance Corporation and other financial institutions for not providing adequate funds for rural housing. Gowda said: "The LIC and other financial institutions have neglected the housing sector especially in the new rural areas. Hence, they should now set funds apart to meet the housing requirements with a special thrust on the rural areas".
Gowda also directed his ire at hoteliers who usurp more land than permitted. "The government gives permission to build hotels on 5 acres, but the builders cover more area thinking its their father's property. These things have to be exposed," he said while drawing attention to the acute shortage of land in the capital for housing.
In a oblique reference to the rich and famous who live in farm houses the Prime Minister emphasised: "Millions of people in the country are shelterless, especially in the city where a number of slums are coming up. However, less than 30 kilometres from the city of Delhi, we have sprawling farm houses. We have to expose these things."
Gowda said: "There is a nexus between the politicians and the bureaucrats, and this has to be broken to provide shelter to the poor. The politicians and bureaucrats live in big houses by paying nominal lease fees. All these need to be exposed to have a proper housing policy."
He also emphasised that his government would not hesitate to modify the Urban Land Ceiling Act and the other land acquisition acts if they benefit the shelterless poor by providing housing land.
To overcome the shortage, Gowda said: "My office is writing to the railways, defence, civil aviation and port trusts to enquire if they have any surplus land available and also about any illegal construction on them. These lands would be brought under various schemes to provide housing for the poorer sections."
The prime minister said that around 6.5 million additional houses are required every year to meet the target of providing shelter to everyone by 2000 AD.
