Eviction notice at Delhi’s Signature View

Residents are demanding that the DDA should pay rent so that they can shift to alternative accommodation

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on Thursday served eviction notices to all flat owners in Signature View Apartment in Mukherjee Nagar, asking residents to vacate the premises within a week.

A structural audit of Signature View Apartment in Mukherjee Nagar in north Delhi by an IIT-Delhi team in November last year declared the premises unsafe and the buildings “weak and degrading”. (HT Archive)

A structural audit of the apartment complex in north Delhi by an IIT-Delhi team in November last year declared the premises unsafe and the buildings “weak and degrading”. Following the audit, Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) had in January asked Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to immediately vacate and demolish the apartment complex. Flat owners and DDA had been negotiating the terms of evacuation since then, and DDA given time to the residents till November 30 to the flat owners to vacate the houses.

Though residents are demanding that the DDA, which built the apartment complex in 2010, should pay rent so that they can shift to alternative accommodation, but they said there has been no assurance from the authority.

“All these agencies need to realise that they cannot bulldoze us as we are paying the price of corruption by these departments. We are not squatters in unauthorised colonies who will have to be vacated by force. Many people have put in their entire life’s savings in buying these houses, and most residents are actually ready to vacate as they are also scared for their lives. We are all middle-class people and cannot suddenly shift to rented houses and pay over ₹50,000 or more rent every month from our pockets. Many people also paying EMIs for these flats. These are completely unfair measures,” said Gaurav Yadav, secretary of SVA RWA.

RWA members said that despite meetings with DDA to negotiate that at least the “most unsafe towers” be fully vacated and the owners in these buildings start getting rent, there has been no response from DDA.

DDA officials, meanwhile, said that multiple reminders have also been sent to MCD in the past to follow up on the January communication regarding the evacuation of the premises, but nothing had been done so far. They said that DDA will have no problem in paying rent, once all flat owners vacate their premises.

DDA had earlier given a deadline to the residents to vacate the premises by November 30, and had also appointed a demolition consultant. However, a group of nine residents approached the Delhi high court, claiming that the rent offered by DDA was too low. The court had asked DDA to halt “any coercive action” against the appellants till the next date of hearing in February.

“There was confusion regarding eviction after the court order, but we took legal advice and have been told that the order should only apply to the appellants. The rest of the flat owners can vacate the premises and can start getting rent. It is already unsafe for people to continue to stay in those towers,” said a senior DDA official.

Interestingly, the eviction notice has also been served to the nine appellants, who said that they will be taking appropriate action.

“This is clearly contempt of court orders and we will be approaching the court against this notice soon,” said Sanjeev Singh, an advocate and one of the nine petitioners.

According to the MCD notices, the owner have to evict by December 25. It mentions that as per the communication received from DDA on January 27 and the structural audit report, the towers of Signature View Apartment are dangerous and unfit for human habitation.

“The structural consultant suggested that distress in the structure appears to be due to chloride in the structure (higher than permissible) which is the cause of the deterioration of concrete and corrosion of reinforcement and towers be vacated and dismantled as soon as possible,” the MCD notice, dated December 18 said. HT has seen a copy of the notice.

Senior MCD officials did not respond to queries regarding the notice.