8 builders Respond To Slum Project

Eight developers have shown interest in Delhi Development Authority’s ambitious project of going ahead with the “In-situ Slum Rehabilitation Scheme”, wherein slum dwellers of chosen clusters will be rehabilitated at or near the site of existing clusters themselves in organised multi-storey dwelling units.

The developers, who have applied in response to DDA’s call for request for qualification for the scheme, include Pune- and Mumbai-based companies also. Mumbai-based Housing Development Infrastructure Limited, an established name in the state, is one of the applicants. Then there is BG Sirke, another major developer from Pune. Even big developers like UNITECH have shown interest.

According to DDA officals, firms from Mumbai and Pune seem keen as the in-situ rehabilitation of slum dwellers along lines that DDA is planning has already been executed in Mumbai. DDA, which is scrutinizing credentials of these eight developers, will short-list final contestants in about two weeks. DDA will then ask them to submit a detailed proposal and financial bids. These will then be analyzed and the final developer for each project will be selected from time to time. DDA hopes to start awarding work by December end.

The first four projects which are likely to kickstart first include sites at Kathputli Colony, spread over an area of 5.22 ha, Jailorwala Bagh, spread over an area of 10.2 ha, Block E & F Sector-18 Rohini, spread over 3.02 ha, and Camp 2 Keshopur Vikas Puri, spread over 0.7854 ha. There are about 5500 JJ units eligible for rehabilitation in these clusters.

Besides these four, there are 17 more sites DDA has chosen to execute the scheme. These include sites like Krishna Park near Vikas Puri, Shyam Nagar K-Block, Shankar Garden in Vikas Puri, JJ Cluster Subhash Nagar-I, Raghubir Nagar, behind booster pump, and three clusters in Vasant Vihar, among others.

Earlier this month, Delhi Development Authority came out with an “In-Situ Slum Rehabilitation Scheme”, wherein a number of JJ dwellers will be rehabilitated with all civic amenities near the area, where they have been living in jhuggi jhonpri clusters for years.

The initiative for rehabilitation of slum and JJ dwellers is a departure from the earlier resettlement schemes, wherein jhuggi dwellers were shifted and settled at far off places from their places of occupation and residence, leading to unemployment and further proliferation in search of occupation. The earlier policy had failed to work and saw the return of slum dwellers to their original place of occupation.

Under the scheme, resettlement will be done on the land occupied by JJ clusters with private partnership. The land will be sold through tender process to a private partner for construction of multistory houses. The number of storeys will depend on availability of land and can vary from 9 to 11 storeys. Provision for lift is also being considered.

  Courtesy:- TOI dtd:- 6th Oct. 2008