The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) plans to first relocate the
slum dwellers to a transit accommodation in nearby Anand Parbat and
later rehabilitate them back to multi-storey buildings that will come up
in Kathputli Colony.

“The permission to relocate the slum dwellers was given in the
authority’s meeting on Monday. The shifting process has begun and they
would be relocated to temporary porta cabins installed in the Anand
Parbat area,” said a senior DDA official.

The slum dwellers would be shifted in batches and in the first batch
2,754 residents of Kathputli Colony would be relocated to the transit
accommodation. The dwellings vacated by them will be demolished.

Kathputli Colony is an unauthorised area that came up as an
encroachment on 5.22 hectares of land which is meant for mixed use. DDA
is developing in-situ projects through Public Private Partnership mode.
Kathputli Colony is going to be the first such project in the city,
followed by similar in-site development in Pocket A-14, Kalkaji
Extension, where 8,000 people would be rehabilitated.

The multi-storey buildings are being built by a private developer and
the project includes a remunerative component whereby the developer
would be able to use some part of the project commercially.Construction work in Kathputli Colony area would be completed only after the slum dwellers vacate the area.

At Kalkaji Extension, which is being developed solely by DDA, the
area would be developed in lots simultaneously without the need to
relocate the residents as vacant land is available.

“We are building high rises at these places because going vertical is
the only way to accommodate large number of people,” he said.

“After Kathputli Colony and Kalkaji Extension, we plan to carry out
similar in-situ development projects in other parts of the city,” he
said.