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Our Bureau

Ahmedabad, Dec 25 Only 7.4 per cent of 24.9 crore houses in India, as per the 2001 Census, use mosaic floor tiles, perhaps the only article that has seen its prices reduced every year and consistent quality improvement, according to the Indian Council of Ceramic Tiles and Sanitaryware (ICCTAS).

As many as 54.9 per cent houses still have the traditional mud-floor, 28 per cent floors are cemented, 5.8 per cent use stone, 2.5 per cent use bricks while 0.9 per cent floors are wooden. As many as 73.3 crore people had no proper sanitation amenities, while 63 per cent had no lavatory facilities.

Eighty per cent of Indian people, therefore, suffer from a host of 50-odd diseases just because they have no access to proper sanitation, the ICCTAS Chairman, Mr Nenshi L Shah, told reporters here.

Demanding reduction of taxes on ceramic tiles and sanitaryware to encourage use of tiles and ward off the Chinese threat of dumping cheaper tiles in India, he said this could go a long way in reducing health-related problems as tiles do not let waste water accumulate under soil and thus prevent growth of bacteria and viruses.

He urged the Centre and the state governments to reduce taxes on these items and bring them on par with sand, iron, steel and other construction materials. The Union Government, in the 2007-08 Budget, announced construction of 15 lakh houses under various schemes.

More Stories on : Real Estate & Construction | Ceramics | Interiors & Homes | Taxation | Gujarat

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