The Non-resident Indians have been banned from purchasing houses in India, prohibit speculative sale and impose 100 percent extra stamp duty on the purchase of second house, as proposed by the Madras High Court aiming to ensure housing for all.
The Union housing and the finance ministry has been impleaded as party respondents by the court.
The Union housing and the finance ministry have been asked to answer a series of questions, as directed by the court. The questions that were posed to the Union housing and the finance ministry include the number of families that have basic amenity of housing in India as well as in the state of Tamil Nadu, the ratio of the population and the housing in the country as well as in the Tamil Nadu state and when should the mission which states “Housing for All” of the central government would be achieved.
Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice Abdul Quddhose has wondered why imposing such restrictions will not be considered by the government in order to control the escalation of house prices and also to provide a house to each and every family in the country.
The bench has directed the authorities to inform the special schemes initiated by the central and the state government in order to provide housing for the marginalized and economically weaker sections which also includes the SC/ST communities.
The deatils of the umber of families who possess more than one house have also been taken into consideration by the division bench of Justice N Kirubakaran and Justice Abdul Quddhose.
The bench had few questions to be asked which include the restriction from purchasing/ possessing more than one housing unit/ flat/ plot by a family or an individual until “Housing for all” is achieved, the charging of 100 per cent more or extra stamp duty by the government in order to discourage the family or an individual from buying a second house.
The bench has also asked, “ Why not the government conditionally allow the families to purchase more than one house provided the said family pays 100 per cent extra statutory dues like property tax, electricity charges, water and sewerage charges on the second property?”
The court has also said that several Lakhs of people are living on platforms, roads and cement pipes, slums, beneath the trees and on the banks of the water bodies with no proper shelter, the basic amenities that are necessary and safety.
The court had added saying that although the fact that a policy has been taken by the Center in order to provide housing unit to every family is true, it has to be done at the earliest and it would turn successful if the people who hold more than one housing unit being restricted and see to it that one family or an individual would have to own only one housing unit.
