50 acre allotted to set up IP, teachers’ varsities in Delhi

The LG, who is also the chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), also approved the purchase of 200 DDA flats in Narela

Lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Friday approved the allotment of 25 acre for Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University (GGSIPU), and another 25 acre for Delhi Teachers’ University (DTU) in Narela in northwest Delhi, according to a statement issued by the LG secretariat.

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena at an awareness session on World Hepatitis Day, at Parliament Annexe, in New Delhi, Thursday, July 28, 2022. (PTI Photo/Kamal Kishore) (PTI07_28_2022_000020A) (PTI)

The LG, who is also the chairman of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), also approved the purchase of 200 DDA flats in Narela, to be allotted as staff housing and student accommodation for the universities.

A statement issued by the LG office on Friday said that GGSIPU, which has “grown multi-fold” since its inception, was facing severe space crunch. The university had written to DDA requesting allotment of land for its new residential North Campus and had also requested DDA to allot flats in Narela to meet the residential requirements of its staff and students.

GGSIPU, located in Sector 16C in Dwarka, was established in 1998. Its new campus in east Delhi was inaugurated in June this year.

DTU, which was established in January 2022, had been operating out of a school building in Outram Lines, Mukherjee Nagar, in north Delhi.

A senior officer of the LG secretariat, requesting anonymity, said that the exact locations for the two universities will be finalised soon. “Site visits will be conducted, and measurements will be taken,” said the official.

The official added that there are a number of unsold DDA flats, mostly in Narela, which will now be used for the two universities. One of the biggest challenges that the department faced in Narela was the sale of these flats.

Bordering Haryana in northwest Delhi, the planning of housing and industrial projects in Narela started in the 1980s. However, there has not been much progress in the urban infrastructure. Despite constructing thousands of flats in Narela, the DDA was unable to sell them.

According to DDA officials aware of the matter, the losses started in 2016-17 after several flats remained unsold in Narela area due to their small sizes, high cost, and poor connectivity, especially the lack of a Metro network. Officials undertook a survey and efforts were made to increase the sale of these flats.

The officials added that security was also a major concern during the survey, which was addressed by providing land to build a police station in the area.