DDA begins rent payouts to Signature View residents, revamp moves ahead

According to residents, 56 homeowners who vacated their flats and submitted necessary documents have received rent from January through July.

After months of delays and legal hurdles, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has started disbursing rent payments to residents of the structurally unsafe Signature View Apartments in north Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar, marking a key step towards the housing complex’s long-pending redevelopment.

Cracks in the Signature view Apartments at Mukherjee Nagar. (HT Archive)

According to residents, 56 homeowners who vacated their flats and submitted necessary documents have received rent from January through July. “Those who handed over possession before the Delhi High Court’s December 2024 order have been paid rent from January 1 to July 31 as per approved rates. Others will be added in phases,” a DDA official said. The rent will continue until the residents regain possession of redeveloped units, the official added.

The move follows IIT Delhi’s structural audit in 2021–22, which deemed the buildings unsafe. The High Court, in its December 2024 ruling, ordered residents to vacate within three months, terming the complex a “hazard to life and property”.

While welcoming the rent payouts, the Signature View Apartments Residents’ Welfare Association flagged concerns. “The DDA’s rent vacation MoU has no mention of the 10% annual rent escalation, and other matters like floor area ratio (FAR) and arrears remain unresolved,” said RWA president Amarendra Kumar Rakesh. General secretary Gaurav Pandey said the RWA will raise these in court on August 25.

Despite multiple attempts by HT, DDA did not respond to queries about FAR rate concerns or rent escalations.