By Bhavanaben D. Chikhalia*
In the prevailing social situation in India, the task of promoting social housing cannot be entrusted to profit making private investors activities for achieving the goal of one dwelling unit for each family at most economical and affordable cost. For this housing on cooperative basis with assistance of Government aided organisations like housing cooperatives which are equipped with expertise is necessary. The housing cooperatives not only construct shelters on a community basis but also create a desirable environment whereby their longevity is improved. The entire life within a housing cooperative is based on common management and common sharing. It provides for self administration as well as common amenities which include construction of shops, educational and cultural centres, kindergarten schools, playgrounds, recreation and study rooms, youth clubs etc.
Housing cooperatives do not restrict their activities to merely creating better houses for their members but they also create environments for a new social life based on shared responsibility and benefits. They improve the ecology through planting trees and maintaining gardens. Housing cooperatives are thus capable and instrumental in:
‑ motivating people to undertake construction of houses by voluntary and joint methods;
‑ improving the environment of human settlement with a view to raise the quality of life through provision of drinking water, sanitation and other basic services; and
‑ improving the ecology of the place.
In addition, such cooperatives can also take up some common economic activities like the running of cooperative consumer stores and service centres.
Housing cooperatives have been functioning in India since 1909. Today we have 92,000 housing cooperatives with a membership of 6.5 million members. The cooperative housing movement has to its credit more than two million houses already constructed a large number is under construction. Every year a number of new cooperatives are registered and thousands of members join the umbrella of cooperatives for solving their housing problems. In recent years, housing cooperatives have entered rural area in a big way. About 5700 housing cooperatives are functioning in rural area. There is an acute shortage of housing facilities in the countryside, especially for the economically weaker sections. The National Urban Housing & Habitat Policy announced by the Government of India in December, 2007 gives due importance to cooperatives.
Providing of adequate housing facilities to the people is one of the august steps towards the goal of social equality. In a vast country like India, the geographical and climatic extremes have only added to the diversities on account of socio‑economic disparities. The rural‑urban divide is a glaring example of the disparity among the people. Over 70 per cent of the population lives in the rural area where the housing and related environmental conditions are far from satisfactory. A "house" is a basic necessity. Everyone, rich or poor, whether in rural or urban area, needs a house to protect his life and property and also to promote his well‑being.
HOUSING SITUATION IN INDIA
The housing situation in India has two distinctive characteristics ‑ quantitative and qualitative. It has been revealed during successive Censuses that the population has registered a faster growth rate and the house construction activity has registered a lower growth rate. Thus, for decades, the addition to the housing stock has never been able to keep pace with the ever‑growing population of the country. The Government of India has estimated that the housing shortage in the country is about 40.66 million units in 2007. Out of this, there is shortage of 15.95 million in rural area and 24.71 million in urban area.
Quality‑wise, about one‑fifth of the housing stock in the country consists of temporary structures made of non‑ durable materials like thatch, bamboo, mud, grass, wood, plastic or polythene etc. About 11.4 million such units in the rural area and another 1.1 million in the urban area are considered `Unserviceable' and therefore, need immediate replacement.
There is a woeful inadequacy in the availability of household amenities and facilities like drinking water, sanitation, latrines, electricity etc. As per 2001 Census, only about 39 per cent of the households have drinking water facility available within premises. About 64 per cent of the households do not have facility of latrines and electricity is not available to over 44 percent households. Overcrowding and congestion is yet another aspect of the deficient housing situation. The number of persons per dwelling unit was 5.49 as per 2001 Census.
SOCIAL DEMOGRAPHY
"Housing" is of utmost social and economic significance. This cannot be left to the mercy of the private sector as a commercial activity for profiteering. Active involvement of the state in financial, technical and all related aspects is thus necessary for achieving the social objective of adequate and reasonable housing facilities to the citizens. It is with this background that the cooperatives have been recognised as a willing and able partner in the national effort for providing shelter to the people.
Housing cooperatives are acknowledged as the best suited organisational set up for achieving this important social objective. Organisationally, housing cooperatives enjoy a unique status. They are spread practically to every nook and corner of the country be it rural or urban, hills or plains area. The membership of the societies, in fact, represents a cross section of Indian masses. They are drawn from every walk of life like artisans, skilled and unskilled workers, farmers/ agriculturist, white collar workers, doctors, engineers etc. cutting across the barriers of income, caste, creed, language, region or religion.
The main object of a housing cooperative is to provide to its members suitable housing accommodation at a reasonable cost and on easy terms of payment. Modern concept of housing does not limit the scope of housing merely to provision of shelter. Today, housing relates to provision of comfortable shelter and such surroundings and services as would keep a man healthy and cheerful throughout the year. A housing cooperative therefore, after providing decent houses to its members also strives to create an ideal environment so that physical, socio‑economic and spiritual needs of its members are best met in the newly created atmosphere.
ORGANISED COMMUNITY LIFE
The activities of a housing cooperative generally does not come to an end after completing its housing project and on providing its members with dwelling houses. It continues to manage the housing estate and provides to its member services in respect of provision of life amenities and essential services like supply of water, electricity, sanitary services etc. However, it does not remain contented with the provision of these essential services only. Its efforts are further directed in building up community life within the cooperative based on good neighbourhood and fellow feelings. It transforms itself into a new community wherein "each is for all and all are for each". In furtherance of their aim of fostering a new community life, they undertook various educational, cultural and social activities. They no longer felt isolated. Their social interaction motivated them to work collectively for common good and common welfare.
UNDERTAKING SOCIAL ACTIVITIES AND SERVICES
Some cooperatives have built schools, reading rooms, libraries, parks, gardens, nursery schools for children. They organise special programmes for their members on certain occasions and also organise tours and arranged health services for the benefit of their members. They have opened dispensaries, first aid and family welfare centres. Special attention is also being paid for the development of youths. The cooperatives have organised youth clubs and sport centres. Large housing cooperatives provide for play grounds for their young people. Some cooperatives have organised debating societies and encourage their youths to devote themselves to literary pursuits like running hand written magazines and conducting essay competitions. Housing cooperatives have been specially helpful for promoting women organisations within their societies. Special associations are formed in housing cooperatives. These associations take up such activities as would help in giving part‑time or full time employment to their members.
INFLUENCE OF HUMAN BEHAVIOUR
One of the out‑standing merits of housing cooperatives is the healthy influence they make over men's life. A man is compelled to engage himself in unsocial activities when he is condemned to live in isolation. On account of better social interaction and emotional integration, the members of housing cooperatives have displayed improved social behaviour and mental health. The incidents of addiction to drinking and juvenile delinquencies are far less or negligible in housing cooperatives compared to those in area where the people are forced to live in isolation devoid of social activities.
NATIONAL INTEGRATION
In the prevailing social conditions in India, housing cooperatives have been instrumental in bringing about much desired emotional and social integration amongst people belonging to different religions, castes and languages. In housing cooperatives people voluntarily choose to come together and live as one large family although they may belong to different religions, castes or language groups. There are no instances of any clashes having taken place in housing cooperatives on account of differences in castes, languages or religions of their members. Thus, housing cooperatives which are concerned with human settlements can remove the evils that have crept into the human society today and strive to build up an ideal or better social life within itself. Our social fabric is torn apart in pieces today on account of conflicts and tensions caused due to differences in language, religion or castes. Misunderstanding about each other and lack of social interaction are the root causes of the conflicts and social tensions. Housing cooperatives in which the members voluntarily choose to live in association with each other can help to remove conflicts and tensions and help to build up an ideal society in which people live with understanding each other and work together for common good and common welfare. A housing cooperative can achieve its objective of building an ideal social life based "give and take" and mutual understanding.
FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO SOCIAL LIFE
The entire life within a housing cooperative is based on common management and common sharing. It provides for an economic self administration as well as provision of common amenities. The relationship thus established creates a bond between the members which further inspire them to undertake activities and social life on shared basis. The essence of the cooperative movement is that the people concerned should themselves look after the management of their affairs concerning economic betterment and social welfare. The management of a housing cooperative is, therefore, not restricted or limited to management of housing estate only but it undertakes all social and cultural activities as are aimed to improve the social life within the co-operative. The members themselves determine by their collective wisdom how the affairs of their society should be managed. They are, therefore, motivated to manage the affairs in a manner as would improve and make better their social conditions.
(*Ex.Minister of State, Government of India and Ex. National Vice-President, BJP)
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