NEW DELHI: Acting on the directions of the high court, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has started the process of shortlisting firms to repair over 2,400 flats meant for the economically weaker section in northwest Delhi’s Savda Ghevra to make them habitable.
These flats will be used to house slum dwellers currently residing in JJ bastis across different parts of the capital. The flats, built under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) nearly a decade ago, have been sparsely occupied, with only a few currently in use.
Officials state that out of 3,560 EWS flats in Phase III of Savda Ghevra, 2,416 will be repaired in the first phase. Of these, 1,000 flats are expected to be completed and made habitable within three months of the commencement of repairs by an external agency. The remaining 1,416 flats are scheduled for completion within the following three months. The total cost of the repair work is estimated at approximately Rs 14.75 crore.
Sources indicate that in Sept 2023, the high court formed a high-powered committee to expedite the allotment of 9,104 constructed flats in Delhi to eligible beneficiaries. During its third meeting, the committee recommended that up to 2,500 JNNURM houses at Savda Ghevra be allocated for slum rehabilitation, specifically from pre-identified JJ bastis. The Delhi government is expected to provide funds to DUSIB and allow the agency to utilise funds from land-owning agencies and beneficiaries to make the flats available for resettlement.
Once the slum dwellers are relocated, the land in question will be cleared and handed over by DUSIB to the respective land-owning agencies.
While DUSIB will handle the repairs to the EWS flats, the Delhi Jal Board and other relevant agencies will conduct site inspections and submit cost estimates for water, sewerage, electricity connections, and other civil amenities to make the flats fully habitable, said an official. The size of the flats ranges between 350 sq ft and 400 sq ft.
