PM opens over 2.7K GPRA flats in Delhi, sets stone for 6.6K more

During the inauguration ceremony, PM Narendra Modi also interacted with women construction workers engaged in the project and women NBCC employees.

New Delhi

The PM also laid the foundation stone for another 6,632 flats across Netaji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Sriniwaspuri and Kasturba Nagar. (Arvind Yadav/HT PHOTO)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday handed over the keys of housing quarters to women allottees on the occasion of International Women’s Day, as he inaugurated a total of 2,722 newly built GPRA flats spread across Kasturba Nagar and Sarojini Nagar.

The PM also laid the foundation stone for another 6,632 flats across Netaji Nagar, Sarojini Nagar, Sriniwaspuri and Kasturba Nagar, besides the Bharat Business Park office towers, part of the Centre’s seven general pool residential accommodations (GPRAs). They will cumulatively comprise 24,917 dwelling units, and replace 12,970 dwelling units of various types in one of the biggest overhauls of the central government staff housing in Delhi.

The redevelopment of the seven colonies is being done by the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) on a self-funding model.

The NBCC, being a public sector undertaking, would earn the government revenue by selling commercial property, such as the World Trade Centre (Nauroji Nagar) and Downtown (Sarojini Nagar). This implementation follows the redevelopment model used by the erstwhile UPA government to redevelop East Kidwai Nagar and Moti Bagh colonies.

During the inauguration ceremony, the PM also interacted with women construction workers engaged in the project and women NBCC employees. He also presented PM-Ayushman Bharat cards, PM Svanidhi credit cards to women beneficiaries later in the day in Burari where he addressed a crowd to speak about the impact of the “double-engine” government.

Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta, union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar and Delhi L-G VK Saxena were also present in the dias among others.