Punjab’s long-delayed economically weaker sections (EWS) housing project remains stuck in a bureaucratic maze, with the housing and urban development department yet to appoint a transaction adviser six months after it floated a request for proposal (RFP) for planning and structuring the ambitious affordable-housing initiative.
A senior department official attributed the delay to the queries raised by bidders. However, compliance by developers has remained poor, contributing to the gap between policy commitments and actual housing delivery. The government had also sought to expand the land bank for the scheme.
The latest delay comes despite the government having earmarked 75 acres for the first phase of the project. The bids will now be opened on October 9,” the official said. The project’s prolonged delay is particularly significant as the EWS housing policy was first introduced in 2008. Despite multiple revisions—in 2016 and 2021—the policy has struggled to translate its stated objectives into actual housing for economically weaker families. Under the policy, private developers are required to reserve 5% of the gross project area for EWS housing, while group housing projects have to earmark 10% of their flats for the category. The government has access to nearly 519 acres that could potentially be utilised for EWS housing, including land held by various development authorities and private developers. Yet, only 75 acres have been identified for planning and development in the first phase. In February last year, the Punjab cabinet approved a proposal to acquire 1,500 acres across six cities, including Mohali and Ludhiana, for EWS housing.
“The queries could not be resolved and, therefore, a corrigendum has been issued.
Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA) chief administrator Neeru Katyal Gupta said, “I am not aware of the current status, but I will check.
