Centre asks DDA to submit slum revamp plan

To speed up the process and keep construction costs low,the central government may ask the central public sector realty firm National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) to undertake the construction of these houses for the poor.

According to official data,around 1,000 slum clusters — consisting of three lakh households with a population of around 16 lakh — occupy 1,800 acre of DDA land.

The Centre has asked the DDA to submit the projects to the Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ministry for financial assistance under their ongoing schemes for the urban poor.

“In addition,financial contribution will be made by the beneficiaries. Since the DDA does not have to incur land cost,it has been asked to spend the surplus that it has on providing housing for the weaker sections in the city,” Urban Development Secretary M Ramachandran said.

The ministry is targeting a timeframe of five years to undertake the rehabilitation and construction of dwelling units,in line with the national deadline for making India slum-free under the recently announced Rajiv Awas Yojana.

The state is building 65,000 dwelling units for the urban poor under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission. In addition,the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (DSIIDC) will build 15,000 flats this year for the economically weaker and lower income groups.

Around 21 per cent of the city’s total population lives in six lakh slums.

Earlier,expressing his displeasure in a meeting of the state housing minister with the Union government,state finance minister A K Walia had lashed out at the DDA and the slum department for not even starting work on the remaining number of houses for the urban poor under the JNNURM.

Authority to go online with tender documents
In a move intended to “improve” the publicity around its various offerings,the DDA is all set to move its tender documents relating to the sale of commercial units and shops online. This mode will be tried for three months on an experimental basis and about 90 built-up commercial units will be put up for sale on the DDA’s website in the 3rd week of July. “We will continue advertising through the conventional media but on the Internet,the information will be available from the day the tender is announced till the day of actual sale. This increases publicity and provides easier access to information,” a senior DDA official said. The purchaser or bidder can directly download the tender form from the DDA website. However,the filled up form will still have to be delivered manually to the DDA office at Vikas Sadan,along with a demand draft of Rs 100,the cost of the downloaded form. Buyers will also be advised via the authority’s website to physically check all units before submitting tenders. Buyers will also have access to all information about the property such as reserve price,area and location. — ENS