DDA approves construction of new flats for MPs in central Delhi

The proposal was approved in a meeting on Tuesday along with DDA’s annual budget for ₹7,933 crore for the financial year 2022-23.

Paving the way for the construction of flats for Members of Parliament in central Delhi, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) approved a proposal to include a government residential colony as a redevelopment area under the zonal plan.

The DDA meeting, chaired by Delhi lieutenant governor Anil Baijal, approved budgetary allocations for various ongoing projects for the next financial year. However, no new projects were announced. (HT)

The proposal was approved in a meeting on Tuesday along with DDA’s annual budget for ₹7,933 crore for the financial year 2022-23.

The meeting, chaired by Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) Anil Baijal, approved budgetary allocations for various ongoing projects for the next financial year. However, no new projects were announced.

The area where new housing for MPs is proposed is located along Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Pandit Pant Marg in central Delhi. A senior DDA official aware of the development said, “Currently, it has CPWD [Central Public Works Department] flats, which are in a very bad condition. Earlier, the area was not included in the zonal development plan.Now this area can be taken up for redevelopment.”

On Tuesday, Baijal tweeted, “Inclusion of multi-storied flats along Baba Kharak Singh Marg and Pt. Pant Marg under Redevelopment area in Zonal Development Plan (ZDP) for construction of multi-storied flats for Hon’ble Members of Parliament (Lok Sabha) for final notification by the MoHUA (ministry of housing and urban affairs).”

The land-owning agency’s budget outlay for the financial year 2022-23 is ₹7,933 crore, which is ₹1,195 crore more from last year. Its project receipt for the next financial year is ₹7,943 crore, whereas it was ₹6,749 last year.

In the meeting, the DDA approved the allocation of monies to projects, such as the upgradation of physical infrastructure in Rohini, Narela and Dwarka; construction of Urban Extension Road-II, completion of housing projects, etc.

Last year, the DDA announced that it will pay the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation ₹1,000 crore for the construction of the Metro corridor connecting Narela with the Rithala-Narela corridor under Phase 4 and allocated ₹400 crore for 2021-22. While the project is in the planning stages, the DDA has allocated ₹240 crore more for the project in the new financial year.

The DDA, which is currently the main developer in Delhi, has planned no new housing project in the new financial year. The land-owning agency has allocated ₹2,543 crore for 2022-23 to complete ongoing projects.

According to a senior DDA official, “DDA is likely to earn ₹2,761 crore from the sale of flats in the new financial year. We recently launched a housing scheme in which 18,000 flats were put on sale. There are flats in Narela and Dwarka in various stages of construction.”

For the UERI-II, also referred to as the third Ring Road of Delhi, the DDA will be paying the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is executing the project, ₹3,600 crore as viability gap funding.

“Of the ₹3,600 crore, ₹1,787 crore will be paid from the Urban Development Fund and rest by the DDA…While an additional ₹100 crore will be given in this financial year, ₹725 crore will be released in the next financial year,” said an official.

A senior DDA official said that work on about 10 in-situ slum rehabilitation projects will also start this year. Close to ₹300 crore has been allocated for these projects for this and the next financial year.

The land-owning agency is likely to start work on three new sports complexes –two in Dwarka (including a golf course) and one in Rohini--and will spend ₹546 crore on the projects this year. The work on phase 1 of the Delhi Cycle Walk project between Badarpur and Malviya Nagar is going on. For this, ₹6 crore has been allocated. DDA officials said that the project is likely to be finished by the end of this year.