(1) A housing or improvement scheme under this Act may be made by the Board of its own motion, or at the instance of the Government or by any local authority.
(2) Where any local authority requests the Board to execute any housing or improvement scheme, the Board shall do so only if it is satisfied that, --
(a) the funds at its disposal are sufficient to execute the scheme; and
(b) the scheme is necessary and capable of being executed.
(3) Where any local authority is aggrieved by the decision of the Board not to execute its scheme, it may appeal to the Government which may pass such order on appeal as it may think fit and every such order passed by the Government shall be binding on the Board.
Matters to be provided by housing or improvement schemes
30. Notwithstanding anything contained in any other law for the time being in force, a housing or improvement scheme may provide for all or any of the following matters, namely: -
(a) the acquisition by purchase, exchange, or otherwise of any property necessary for or affected by the execution of the scheme;
(b) the laying or re-laying out of any land comprised in the scheme;
(c) the distribution or redistribution of sites belonging to owners of the property comprised in the scheme;
(d) the closure or demolition of dwellings or portions of dwellings unfit for human habitation;
(e) the demolition of obstructive buildings or portions of buildings;
(f) the construction and reconstruction of buildings;
(g) the sale, lease or exchange of any property comprised in the scheme;
(h) the construction and alteration of roads, streets, back lanes, bridges, culverts and causeways;
(i) the draining, water-supply and lighting of the streets included in the scheme;
(j) the provision of roads, parks, playing fields, and open spaces for the benefit of any area comprised in the scheme or any adjoining area, and the enlargement of existing parks, playing fields, open spaces and approaches;
(k) the provision of sanitary arrangements required for the area comprised in the scheme including the conservation of and prevention of injury or contamination to rivers or other sources and means of water supply;
(l) the provision of accommodation for any class of inhabitants;
(m) the advance of money for the purposes of the scheme;
(n) the provision of facilities for communication and transports;
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(o) the collection of such information and statistics as may be necessary for the purposes of this Act;
(p) the reclamation or reservation of lands for markets, gardens, playing fields and afforestation;
(q) the provision of schools, parks, swimming pools, restaurants, shops, markets, fuel depots, laundries, hair dressing saloons and other amenities in the scheme; and
(r) any other matter for which, in the opinion of the Government, it is necessary or expedient to provide for house accommodation or for the improvement of any area comprised in the scheme or such other area as the Government may, by notification in the Official Gazette, declare to be an area surrounding or adjoining to the area comprised in the scheme.
Types of housing or improvement schemes
31. Any housing or improvement scheme shall be of one of the following types, or combination of any two or more such types or of any special features thereof, that is to say –
(a) a house accommodation scheme;
(b) a rebuilding scheme;
(c) a rehousing or rehabilitation scheme;
(d) a city or town or village expansion scheme;
(e) a street scheme;
(f) a deferred street scheme;
(g) a land development scheme; and
(h) a general improvement scheme.
House accommodation scheme
32. Whenever the Board is of opinion that it is expedient or necessary to meet the need for housing accommodation in any area, the Board may frame a house accommodation scheme for that area, –
(a) specifying the lay-out of the area where houses will be constructed;
(b) providing for roads, streets, drainage, water supply, street lighting and other amenities;
(c) providing for the construction of houses and the disposal thereof by sale or by lease or on hire-purchase basis.
Rebuilding scheme