Tata test drives its latest version of cheap: The Nano Home - Low cost housing in INDIA
Low cost housing backlog in INDIA ANUJ CHOPRA MUMBAI, INDIA — Special to The Globe and Mail Last updated on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009 03:00AM EDT A low-voltage light sputters to life, illuminating Parvati Mani's dingy tenement as the squeals of scurrying rats echo from the iron rooftop. Just outside, within whiffing distance, is a litter-filled open sewer. The windowless, one-room dwelling in Mumbai's Dharavi district is a tight squeeze for Ms. Mani's family, whose six members cook, eat and take turns sleeping in the 60-square-foot space. For years, the 62-year-old seamstress put aside money from her meagre earnings, hoping one day to escape the wretchedness of life in what is Asia's largest slum. But in Mumbai, India's commercial and entertainment capital, real estate is notoriously expensive and owning a house has been beyond Ms. Mani's reach. In the past decade, India's galloping economic growth gave birth to a housing boom, built around the emerging midd...