‘ ₹2,000 crore wasted’: HC expresses dismay over ‘inhabitable condition’ of JNNURM flats

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday expressed strong displeasure over the “inhabitable condition” of the flats constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) despite spending nearly ₹2,000 crore on the entire project

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Thursday expressed strong displeasure over the “inhabitable condition” of the flats constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) despite spending nearly ₹2,000 crore on the entire project.

Under the JNNURM, DUSIB and the DSIIDC were entrusted with constructing 52,344 EWS flats. (HT Archive)

Under the JNNURM, which commenced in 2009-10 with financial assistance from the Centre and the Delhi government, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) and the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC) were entrusted with constructing 52,344 EWS flats.

A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyaya and justice Tejas Karia observed that the project had resulted in a waste of public funds, since the houses that were earlier constructed remained uninhabitable and now required special repairs.

“ ₹2,000 crore on the JNNURM scheme. ₹2,000 crore drained out. You haven’t given possession. Who is responsible for all this? Why did you construct if you cannot foresee? Can you permit the waste of ₹

2,000 crore of the taxpayer?” the court said, pulling up the DUSIB’s lawyer.

“JNNURM was for alleviation of poverty. Is this how to alleviate poverty? Why this situation? Can anybody on this earth digest this wastage of ₹2,000 crore? Since 2008… 2026, you constructed a house, and you say it is inhabitable and it requires special repairs. Another amount of ₹2,000 crore you need for major repairs.”

The court made this observation as it reserved verdict in an appeal filed by residents of three slum clusters near the Prime Minister’s residence in the Race Course area, against a single judge’s May 11 verdict directing them to vacate and shift 45 kms away to Savda Ghera.

This came after the court took note of a status report filed by DUSIB detailing the condition of 24,284 houses constructed under the JNNURM, including their present status, location, occupancy or vacancy position, and whether they were fit for habitation.

In its status note, DUSIB stated that three of the seven JNNURM housing projects at Dwarka, sanctioned in 2008, required extensive repairs. It further informed the court that one project in Jahangirpuri was still under construction and remained unfit for habitation, while another had come to a standstill. A project at Sultanpuri was undergoing repair works and was also unfit for occupation.

As regards the Savda Ghevra project, DUSIB stated that 3,560 flats had been completed in 2020, of which 1,383 were lying vacant, while 823 flats were ready for rehabilitation, subject to the issuance of a no-objection certificate (NOC) by the Delhi Fire Services.

On May 11, a bench of justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav had directed over 350 residents of three slum clusters near the Prime Minister’s residence in the Race Course area to vacate the camps within 15 days and shift to the alternative accommodation arranged by the authorities.

The single judge’s order was passed in a petition filed by residents of Bhai Ram Camp, DID Camp, and Masjid Camp, challenging the decision to relocate them to alternate accommodation at Savda Ghera.

The residents contended that the rehabilitation process violated the applicable policy because several procedural requirements were not followed, and no reasons were given for shifting them to a distant location instead of providing in-situ rehabilitation. Their families had lived in the camps for generations and depended on nearby areas for livelihood through domestic and other blue-collar jobs, while their children studied in local schools. They argued that relocation would adversely affect their livelihood, education, and right to life under Article 21.