A startling figure has come to light during the 2011 house census. The census says that out of the 3,89,019 structures classified as houses, 54267 houses are vacant (without any occupant).This is roughly 13.94%. This survey was undertaken by the Govt. Out of these structures,2,52,201 structures are used purely for residential purposes,4215 are used for mixed purposes and 36,394 are used as shops and other uses.582 structures are for academic purposes,1603 as hotels and 1176 as hospitals and clinics,5015 as factory and workshops and 836 as places of worship.
Confronted by these shocking statistics, the builders reacted with the usual shrug of the shoulders, saying that it was not possible. Many attributed the statistics to investors who keep the flats locked up and wait for the market to shoot up. Other builders also feigned ignorance of such a possibility. Whether this survey included newly constructed buildings or not is not clear. If they weren\’t included, the actual figure of vacant houses may go up by a few thousand more houses.