Panaji, Mar 21 (TOI): Stating that 99% of the housing sector is currently under private players, the Confederation of Real Estate Developers' Associations of India (CREDAI) Goa president, Jaganath Prabhudessai, said the government can support the industry by introducing a single-window clearance mechanism.

"The government can help check costs of housing projects by speeding up the clearance process. If a project can be initiated within three months of the purchase of the land, costs can reduce significantly, thus helping the consumer," Prabhudessai said while speaking at a panel discussion on current typologies and planning strategies for housing in Goa, organized by the Indian Institute of Architects, Goa chapter.

He also pointed out that the delays in finalization of the regional plan and ODPs create an unnecessary uncertainty that increases the cost of the land.

Agreeing with Prabhudessai, architect Swapnil said it is the government's social responsibility to provide affordable housing. "The government is just doing housing projects for slum rehabilitation and has left the market to private players," he said.

CREDAI ex-president Nilesh Salkar, said the private lobby cannot take over the government's responsibility of providing affordable houses by incurring losses.