Authorities get 4 weeks for plan to rehabilitate Kalkaji homeless in vacant flat

The court noted that a large number of newly constructed houses meant for EWS category are lying vacant either due to lack of amenities or because the houses have been partially completed “owing to lack of coordination between the authorities”.

The Delhi high court on Wednesday directed the authorities to file an affidavit on the procedure to be adopted for allotment of flats which were built for economically weaker sections (EWS) of the society, and are lying vacant.

Authorities get 4 weeks for plan to rehabilitate Kalkaji homeless in vacant flat (Picture for representation only/HT Archive)

The court was hearing a suo motu petition.

The court noted that a large number of newly constructed houses meant for EWS category are lying vacant either due to lack of amenities or because the houses have been partially completed “owing to lack of coordination between the authorities”.

“The respondents (the Centre and the Delhi government) are granted four weeks to file an affidavit informing the further procedure for allotment of the vacant flats,” a bench of chief justice Satish Chandra Sharma and justice Subramonium Prasad said.

The high court bench listed the matter for further hearing on August 22.

On June 30, taking note of the non-allotment of around 30,000 flats under Union government’s Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission Scheme (JNNURM) for rehabilitation of slum dwellers in the city, the high court initiated a suo motu petition to look into the implementation of the scheme to be enforced by the city government.

“There can be no doubt that a large section of residents in Delhi belonging to the economically weaker sections of society require affordable housing. It is disconcerting that a large quantum of flats/houses are lying vacant due to lack of amenities or in a state of partial completion apparently due to lack of coordination between the authorities,” the court had said.

It also said that the joint status report already filed by the secretary of Union ministry of housing and urban affairs and chief secretary of the Delhi government should also placed before the chief justice’s bench.