DDA survey ahead of slum revamp project

DDA officials said the survey is necessary as the cut-off date for eligibility to apply under the scheme was revised to January 1, 2015, after the Delhi government notified the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy in 2015.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has initiated the second round of survey of slum clusters for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana in-situ redevelopment project. While the DDA has planned the construction of 26,000 flats at various locations under the scheme, officials said a survey will help identify the requirement for housing for the urban poor in the Capital.

There are 675 slum clusters in Delhi, according to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board. (HT file photo)

DDA officials said the survey is necessary as the cut-off date for eligibility to apply under the scheme was revised to January 1, 2015, after the Delhi government notified the Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy in 2015. According to the previous rehabilitation policy, only tenement owners residing in slum clusters before January 1, 2006, were eligible to get a flat.

“We are in the process of appointing an agency to carry out a survey of 87 slum clusters in the Capital. The survey will help us identify the exact number of households and the area they are located in, among other details. The survey available with us is quite old (it was last done in 2007) and since the new cut-off date is 2015, the number of eligible households is bound to increase. The agency will have to complete the survey within three months,” said a senior DDA official.

Apart from counting the households, the survey firm will also carry out a “stakeholder analysis to understand people’s problems and aspirations and provide inputs”.

There are 675 slum clusters in Delhi, according to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, of which 499 are located on Central government land, including plots owned by the DDA and the Northern Railway.

Under the Centre’s PMAY-Urban scheme, DDA has to carry out in-situ redevelopment of 376 clusters located on its land. “Earlier, we carried out the survey for 76 clusters based on which the plan for redevelopment of 16 in-situ projects has been finalised, wherein close to 26,000 flats will be constructed,” said the official quoted above.