DDA flats can now be 2nd homes in Delhi after tweak in rules

An amendment in DDA’s housing regulations was approved on Tuesday during the authority’s board meeting chaired by lieutenant governor VK Saxena.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA), in a bid to boost the sale of its flats, has cleared a proposal to do away with its policy restricting  existing homeowners from buying DDA-built houses in the city, according to officials familiar with the development.

Earlier, a homeowner in Delhi and their family members could not purchase another DDA unit in the urban area of Delhi, New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment under the DDA (management and disposal of housing estates) regulation, 1968. HT earlier reported that DDA will soon remove this clause, allowing more people to apply for DDA flats. (HT Archive)

An amendment in DDA’s housing regulations in this regard was approved on Tuesday during the authority’s board meeting, which was chaired by lieutenant governor VK Saxena.

Earlier, a homeowner in Delhi and their family members could not purchase another DDA unit in the urban area of Delhi, New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment under the DDA (management and disposal of housing estates) regulation, 1968.

HT earlier reported that DDA will soon remove this clause, allowing more people to apply for DDA flats.

The proposal will now be sent to the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) for final approval.

Officials said that the restriction has affected sale of flat over the past few years. “It has been observed that restrictions imposed by the regulation has affected sale of DDA flats from the demand side in terms of inability to sell flats to those who own a flat or plot in Delhi. Due to increased family sizes, though people may be willing and have purchasing power to buy the flat, they have not been able to,” DDA said in a statement.

The DDA (management and disposal of housing estates) regulations, 1968, were issued under section 57 of DDA Act, 1957. Regulation 7 detailed the eligibility of allotment of the flats and stated that a dwelling unit or flat in the housing estates of the authority shall be allotted only to such person who or his wife/husband or any of his/her dependant relations, including unmarried children, do not own in full or in part on free hold or lease hold basis a residential plot or house in the urban area of Delhi, New Delhi and Delhi Cantonment. While DDA amended the clause this March, it has now proposed to strike it down completely.

DDA flat-owners welcomed the move. “It was a restrictive practice, which was anti-development. Now, not just us, but in an evolving world with nuclear families, we can hope that our children too can own a house. Our kids will not be limited by this rule. we are quite elated,” said Sudhanshu Mishra, a resident of Dilshad Garden DDA.

Prerna Jha, a resident of a DDA society in Dwarka said, she currently lives in a house that she paid for but is registered in the name of her father’s friend due to the restrictive policy. “I hope, with this change, DDA will now allow me to get the flat registered in my name.”

Meanwhile, DDA approved allotment of land for six state bhawans, or guest houses, in Dwarka as well as the expansion of Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) hospital to boost medical infrastructure. “Now, the approved proposal will be sent to Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs for final notification,” said a DDA official.

Change of land use for a plot for building the CPI(M) office on Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg in Pocket-III, Rouse Avenue, was also approved on Tuesday.