The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is to announce the launch of a new housing scheme in 2014. So for people who are on the lookout for affordable houses in the busy capital, it is time for some good news. It is heartening for the general public that this housing scheme would take into consideration all sections of the society and would cover a variety of accommodation. The apartment sizes would be right from one-room tenements to three-bedroom flats. DDA has not yet announced the price implications but has promised to keep the schemes within affordable reach of common people. The flats are to be launched at different parts of Delhi such as Rohini, Narela and Dwarka. Sources have revealed that around 5,000 to 6000 flats will be offered under the scheme.
This announcing for new launch came after a gap of four years. The last project launched by DDA was in 2010. A DDA official was quoted as saying, “Identifying vacant plots for construction has been one of the impediments in launching a new scheme. The formal announcement of the scheme will be made shortly and this will include flats, which have been lying vacant from previous schemes. Approximately 5,000-6,000 flats will be made available in 2014.’’ As per previous records, the DDA announces housing schemes in every two years.
Since the news came out, the phones in the offices of DDA have not stopped ringing. There have been a lot of queries from Indians based in America and South Africa, who are incessantly making enquiries about this impending launch. The scheme is most likely to be out in February. Perceiving the interests shown by the NRIs, the DDA official has also added, “There is huge interest among NRIs for buying DDA flats because of location, quality and price compared to other private developers.”
Conditions imposed for applicants
- An applicant applying for the scheme should be a citizen of India.
- The applicant should not be less than 18 years of age.
- One applicant can submit only a single application in his/her name.
- Applicant should not own any other residential flat or plot in full or in part on lease hold or free hold basis in Delhi either in his or her own name or in the name of the spouse or minor or dependent children.
Hitches with the previous housing schemes launched by DDA
The completion and handing over of flats launched under 2010 scheme has not yet been completed. In fact, it was in news that the land agency is still struggling to complete the process. Some allottees even dragged the matter to the court regarding delay in possession and uninhabitable state of flats.
More than 650 allottees of Ganga Block of the Vasant Kunj complex and some blocks in Dwarka Sector-18 were issued possession letters very recently after a long delay. An allottee of a flat in Saraswati Block, Vasant Kunj, complained that “The DDA took money for our flats in July 2011, but the possession was given to us only in December. These flats were in an uninhabitable condition. There was no water or electricity connection. The building did not have any functioning lifts. I then approached the High Court to get the issue resolved.”