At 29.5 per cent, the Sashastra Seema Bal recorded the lowest level of housing satisfaction, followed by the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (40.93 per cent) and Border Security Force (45.17 per cent) among personnel of all central armed police forces (CAPFs) in the country, according to a parliamentary standing committee report submitted in Parliament.

The panel found that the CAPF personnel are unwilling to accept the accommodations offered to them in semi-urban or far-flung areas due to their distance from urban amenities such as educational institutions and medical facilities.

On September 1 last year, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had launched the “CAPF e-AWAS” web portal with an aim to update and disseminate information about vacant accommodation available for CAPF personnel. He said the effort was aimed at increasing the housing satisfaction ratio (HSR), “which was around 33 per cent in 2014 and 48 per cent today (in September 2022), by 13 per cent without construction of new buildings”. However, the HSR fell from 48 per cent to 47.95 per cent till December 31, 2022.

“The committee enquired about force-wise housing satisfaction level of CAPF personnel. The MHA informed the committee that the present housing satisfaction level (as on December 31, 2022) in CAPFs is 47.95 per cent against authorised Dwelling Units (DU). When asked about the measures that have been taken to improve their housing satisfaction level, the MHA replied that presently, 15,951 houses are under various stages of construction,” said the Standing Committee on Demands for Grants relating to the MHA in its report submitted in Parliament on March 17.

The committee noted that the housing requirement of the CAPFs has been a sticky issue. “The committee has observed that due to location disadvantage, owing to their distance from adequate urban amenities such as educational institutions medical facilities, etc., the personnel are unwilling to accept the accommodations offered to them which are located in semi-urban or far-flung from urban areas,” the report said.

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The committee also observed that not everyone requires accommodations as families of many CAPF personnel prefer to stay in one place for continuing the education of their children while the personnel are on the move following transfers. “Keeping all this in view, the committee recommends that the MHA should draw a roadmap in consultation with the M/o Housing and Urban Affairs/CAPFs, etc. for locating construction of dwelling units at a place having urban amenities such as educational institutions and medical facilities so that the families do not face difficulties in accessing them when the CAPFs personnel are performing duties away from home,” the report said.

The committee also observed that if their quarters are located not far from their place of posting, they can visit the families frequently. “The committee also recommends that the MHA in coordination with CAPFs should initiate a target-oriented drive for improving the housing satisfaction level to 70-80 per cent in the coming years. The CAPFs may use rapid construction technologies to achieve the targets for the construction of houses,” it stated.

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The committee was also informed that the Centre has withdrawn the facility of retaining government accommodations in Delhi or any other city for IAS, IPS and other All India Service officers posted in the Northeast. “The Committee recommends that the MHA may take up the matter with the Directorate of Estates, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs to reconsider its decision of withdrawal of accommodation and may extend the facility to the CAPFs for some more time,” the report stated.

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