Shabana Azmi: Affordable Housing Is The State's Responsibility!
Shabana Azmi opened up about affordable housing to one and all by saying that it should be the State's number one priority to make people self-sufficient and afford a house.
Actor
Shabana
Azmi
on
Monday
said
one
cannot
be
dependent
on
any
private
sector
to
ensure
affordable
housing
and
it
is
in
fact
the
State's
responsibility
to
look
into
it.
Azmi
said
relying
on
private
sector
for
affordable
housing
is
a
flawed
model.
"The
fact
is,
if
we
leave
the
affordable
housing
to
the
private
sector,
we
are
in
deep
trouble.
We
cannot
follow
that
model.
As
we
talk
about
housing
for
all,
many
groups
say
the
private
sector
has
the
means
to
do
it,
that
they
will
get
vast
amount
of
lands
and
will
be
able
to
do
it
really
fast,"
Azmi
told
reporters.
Shabana
Azmi
further
commented,
"But,
we
have
to
explain
and
communicate
that
it
is
the
State's
responsibility.
Nobody
who
lives
in
the
slums
or
belongs
to
the
economically
weaker
section
can
afford
land
at
market
prices.
Unless
the
economically
weaker
sections
are
given
subsidised
rates
for
housing,
there
is
no
way
we
are
going
to
solve
the
problem."
Azmi
was
speaking
at
the
launch
of
the
book
"Chasing
The
Affordable
Dream-
A
Plan
to
House
Mumbai's
Millions." The
book
has
been
authored
by
PK
Das,
Gurbir
Singh,
Ritu
Dewan
and
Kabir
Agarwal.
Azmi
said
in
her
first
ever
speech
in
Rajya
Sabha,
she
had
spoken
about
the
issue
of
housing
for
all,
a
topic
that
is
still
relevant.
"I
had
heard
a
young
boy
say
at
an
university,
'we
got
independence
at
midnight
but
the
morning
hasn't
arrived
yet.' Several
statements
made
by
the
President
were
met
with
applause,
such
as
education
for
all,
health
for
all.
But
when
it
came
to
housing
for
all,
there
was
absolute
silence
in
the
room.
I
had
said
that
the
silence
is
deafening...
To
overlook
housing,
particularly
affordable
housing
will
be
a
great
error,"
she
added.