BJP, Congress criticise AAP on EWS housing: Thousands of flats in ruins

BJP and Congress criticize AAP for neglecting thousands of EWS flats in Delhi, claiming they lie in ruins amid election tensions. AAP blames central government.

The Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress on Monday targeted the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government for allegedly failing to deliver “thousands of flats” developed for economically weaker section (EWS) which were never delivered and are lying in a “ruined” and “dangerous state.”

BJP leader Anurag Thakur (right) with Delhi state president Virendra Sachdeva (left) at a press conference at BJP headquarters in New Delhi on Monday. (Arvind Yadav/HT Photo)

The issue of housing has become the latest flashpoint in the heated run-up to the Delhi elections, a day after AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal announced a new housing scheme for government workers, starting with sanitation staff.

At the centre of the current tussle are thousands of EWS flats which were constructed under the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal Mission (JNURM) at 14 different areas of the Capital.

The AAP, in turn, blamed the central government for creating a clash of opinions on whom to allot the flats, thereby delaying the allocation. The AAP also mentioned that the flats were constructed much before the party came into power.

Delhi BJP president Virendra Sachdeva, accompanied by North West Delhi MP Yogendra Chandolia, visited the vacant flats near the Bawana JJ cluster on Monday morning. Highlighting their dilapidated condition, Sachdeva blamed AAP’s “political vendetta” for the non-allotment of these flats.

“Despite serving as chief minister thrice, Arvind Kejriwal has ignored these abandoned flats, mismanaging public funds while misleading the poor with false promises,” said Sachdeva. He alleged that the flats, built with central government assistance, were neglected because the AAP government insisted on rebranding the project under its name.

Sachdeva alleged the flats were left to deteriorate because AAP sought political credit for the scheme. He criticised the state of the flats, citing collapsed walls, dense overgrowth, and structural decay. “Once a BJP-led government comes to power in Delhi, we will repair these flats just as the central government has provided housing across India,” he asserted.

Hours later, at a press conference, Congress leader and Rajya Sabha MP Rajiv Shukla criticised both the BJP and the AAP, accusing the two two parties of turning housing projects into a battleground for credit, leaving thousands of flats unallocated and in ruins.

“The Congress government at the Centre had approved the construction of 52,344 flats at a cost of ₹2,415.82 crore. Of these, 35,744 were completed years ago, but only 4,883 have been allotted. Around 30,303 flats remain vacant, while 16,600 under-construction flats have also been completed but are now decaying,” Shukla said.

He noted that the Delhi high court had, in September 2023, formed a high-power committee to expedite the allotment of these flats to eligible beneficiaries. However, he alleged that both the BJP and the AAP ignored the court’s directive.

Shukla added, “The BJP and the AAP’s fight for credit has damaged Delhi’s civic infrastructure and delayed development. These schemes, initially implemented by the Congress to uplift the poor, are now being appropriated and recycled by both parties to mislead voters.”

The AAP, in a statement, said, “Though these flats have been ready for many years before the AAP government came to power, there is a conflict created by the central government regarding allocation of these flats. The central government is adamant that they want to give these flats on rent especially to people working in the central government. However, the Delhi government is of the view that slum dwellers should get these accommodations.”

Further, the party claimed that the case has been pending with the high court. “The government of Delhi had told them that almost 10,000 flats are needed because advance payments have been received from the jhuggi dwellers. Therefore, the government of Delhi is duty-bound to provide them flats,” the statement added.