The Hindu       12.07.2016   

DMRC formulates housing scheme in Janakpuri West

On track:Currently, DMRC has housing projects at Khyber Pass (Civil Lines), Vishwavidyalaya, Dwarka Mor, Subhash Nagar and Rithala.File Photo

: City residents can now look beyond the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for getting their ‘dream homes’. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has conceptualised a housing scheme in Janakpuri West, which is likely to become operational in 2019.

Unlike its previous five residential projects wherein it had given land to a concessionaire for building apartments and selling it to the public, this time, the DMRC is going to build a residential complex on its own. The flats are going to be built as high as up to 29 storeys.

Facts and figures

“The plot size will be 1.18 hectare. The land use is residential. So, 70 per cent of it will be used for building flats, 20 per cent for commercial purposes and 10 per cent for other purposes. The project proposal will be sent to the Ministry of Urban Development for its approval,” said S.D. Sharma, Director (Business Development), DMRC.

The cost of the flats is yet to be decided, but their allotment will be done through a computerised draw similar to that of the DDA. There will be approximately 350 dwelling units built over a floor-area ratio of 400, which is in accordance to the latest Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) guidelines.

It is after eight years that the Delhi Metro is venturing into the housing sector. “In 2008, the PMO had expressed concerns over how allowing houses to be built for the public would mean letting land parcels slip away from the government’s possession. Residential leases are always given for 90 years or more. So, we had to restrict ourselves to commercial development,” said Mr. Sharma.

It was only at meetings in the past two months that the MoUD expressed willingness in such projects, he added.

On the cards

The DMRC has also identified about 20 plots of 3,000 square metres and above which will be developed into mixed-use societies under the TOD norms. For all the other projects, it is going to introduce the system of e-auctioning like the DDA.

DMRC has housing projects at Khyber Pass (Civil Lines), Vishwavidyalaya, Dwarka Mor, Subhash Nagar and Rithala. Possession of flats is being given away in all the projects, except the one in Dwarka Mor, where work has been affected due to a dispute in construction.

It is pertinent to note that it is almost impossible for the DMRC to meet its property development revenue target of Rs. 2,505 crore only through commercial projects. “The limitation is that the entire money is not recovered at the beginning. But, in residential projects, we earn a lot of upfront money because the developer collects bookings in advance from the end user. The builder is, therefore, ready to give us that money at the beginning, which we can use for construction,” said a senior Metro official.

The Hindu      12.07.2016  

Houses for urban poor: Corpn. Council clears beneficiary list

 Nearly 500 economically backward people in the city are likely to have a roof above their head before March next.

The Corporation Council on Monday cleared the beneficiary list of 3,166 persons, who have submitted their applications with supporting documents. Houses will be built for the urban poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) launched by the Central government.

The housing scheme is being projected as the biggest one being implemented in the city since the Basic Services to the Urban Poor scheme launched under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Of the applicants, 73 per cent have their own land where homes would be constructed, 11 per cent live as joint families and 16 per cent live in rented houses.

Under the PMAY scheme, the target is to meet the “housing requirement of urban poor including slum dwellers.”

The rehabilitation of “slum dwellers with participation of private developers using land as a resource, promotion of affordable housing for weaker section through credit-linked subsidy schemes, affordable housing in partnership with public and private sector agencies” are some of the objectives of the project.

The Ministry has envisioned “all-weather single unit or a unit in a multi-storeyed super structure having carpet area of up to 30 square metre with adequate basic civic services and infrastructure services like toilet, water and electricity” for the target group.

While the Central government will spend Rs.47.49 crore, the State government, urban local body (Kochi Corporation) and the beneficiaries together will raise Rs.15.83 crore each for the housing scheme.

Complaints

Several councillors demanded that the anomalies in the first list of beneficiaries should be rectified before sending it to the authorities for approval. The list will have to be submitted to the Centre through the State government. K.J. Antony, the leader of the LDF in the council, demanded that the eligible candidates from the socially marginalised sections should find place in the list.

Replying to the debate, Mayor Soumini Jain said the first list, which was drawn up after a series of deliberations and consultations, shall be forwarded to the authorities. The case of other eligible beneficiaries shall be taken up during the next phase of implementation of the project, she said.

Houses will be built for the urban poor under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana launched by the Central government