DDA seeks bids for Kalkaji Extension slum drive

Kalkaji Extension was the first in-situ redevelopment executed by the DDA. The plan was to rehabilitate 8,461 families of three slum clusters -- Jawahar Lal Camp, Navjivan Camp and Bhoomiheen Camp -- located in Govindpuri and Kalkaji in a phased manner.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has invited bids for in-situ redevelopment of a second slum clusterin Kalkaji Extension in South Delhi on a public-private partnership basis, even as officials said that it will soon start allotment of flats to the first batch of 3,024 beneficiaries.

According to the plan, the first phase would see construction of 3,024 flats on a nearby plot, and the remaining flats will be constructed on the vacated land in subsequent phases. (Representative image/HT Archive)

In the second phase, the DDA plans to construct 5,382 flats for slum dwellers of two of the three camps in the area.

“The total developable area is seven hectares, of which 6.3 hectares will be used for construction of flats and the remaining will be used by the developer,” said a senior DDA official.

Kalkaji Extension was the first in-situ redevelopment executed by the DDA. Conceived in 2011, former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit laid the foundation stone for the project in October 2013. The plan was to rehabilitate 8,461 families of three slum clusters -- Jawahar Lal Camp, Navjivan Camp and Bhoomiheen Camp -- located in Govindpuri and Kalkaji in a phased manner.

According to the plan, the first phase would see construction of 3,024 flats on a nearby plot, and the remaining flats will be constructed on the vacated land in subsequent phases.

But the project was delayed by over a decade and finally, the DDA approved the plan to start allotment of flats to residents of Bhoomiheen Camp in December last year. DDA officials said that the allotment process will happen in a month or two.

“It will be the responsibility of the developer to provide a transit camp facility to relocate slum residents till the project is complete. We recently got the survey done for the two slum clusters,” said a DDA official.

The developer has been allowed to use 17% of the area for remunerative projects with an overall floor area ratio -- ratio of the total floor area to the size of the land -- of 300. “Developer is free to use this FAR for residential, commercial orPSPuse as per the financial viability of the project,” said the tender document.

DDA officials said that while the developer has been given a free hand in deciding the type for remunerative project to recover the cost, the parking norms mentioned in the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 have to be followed.

Meanwhile, residents of Bhoomiheen camp are waiting for allotment of the houses.

Sheikh Mustafa (61), a shop owner in the area, said that the DDA is yet to start the allotment as construction work is still going on. “They have done the survey and are collecting documents from us. But we have not been told about the date when we will be handed over the keys. The construction work at the site is still not complete.”

Meanwhile, the DDA has initiated a second round of survey of slum clusters for the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana’s in-situ redevelopment projects.

While the DDA has planned for construction of 26,000 flats at various locations under the scheme, officials said the survey will help identify the requirement for housing for urban poor in the Capital.

DDA officials said the survey is necessary as the cut-off date for eligibility to apply under the scheme was extended till January 1, 2015, after the notification of Delhi Slum and JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation policy, 2015, by the Delhi government.

“The survey will help us identify the exact number of households, the area they are located in, etc. The survey available with us is very old and with the new cut-off date the number of eligible households will increase. The agency will have to complete the survey within three months,” said a senior official, aware of the development.