Housing policies and urban planning have been presented as a techno-bureaucratic exercise, preventing the political leadership from taking ownership and responsibility. With large urban projects on the anvil and the third master plan for Chennai on the drawing board, it is time for the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government to repoliticise planning and adopt a vision consistent with its people-friendly promises. Planning of the past and presentFor long, the State government stood apart with its innovative planning practices. A telling example of depoliticised planning is the Tamil Nadu Affordable Urban Housing and Habitat Policy, 2020. Similarly, in 1971, the government admitted that the Housing Board had failed to deliver since it had diluted its mission by focusing on higher-income groups.

Source: The Hindu May 18, 2021 18:45 UTC