Kejriwal approves proposal to build 6,178 flats for poor
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal on Monday approved the proposal to construct 6,178 flats to rehabilitate the slum dwellers living in Lajpat Nagar, Bhalswa, Dev Nagar, Mangol Puri and Ambedkar Nagar. "The 6178 EWS flats will be constructed at the cost of ?866 crore," the Delhi government stated. AAP government?s biggest poll policy was 'Jaha Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan', it added.
The Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government will construct multi-storey apartments to rehabilitate the slum dwellers living in Lajpat Nagar, Bhalswa, Dev Nagar, Mongol Puri and Ambedkar Nagar. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal approved the proposal in the board meeting of Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) on Monday to construct the apartments at the four locations.?The board approved the pilot project for in-situ upgradation of slum on DUSIB land. 6178 EWS (Economic Weaker Section) flats will be constructed at the cost of Rs866 crore,? said a Delhi government spokesperson.Read more: Delhi govt to provide 24/7 toilet facility in slumsDelhi Slum & Jhuggi Jhopari Rehabilitation & Relocation Policy 2015 has also been approved by the board, clearing way for the rehabilitation. The policy was earlier approved by the board in April last year and got the Cabinet approval in July. The file was sent to the lieutenant governor but despite agreeing to the policy, the LG made observations with regard to rate to be charged from the land owning agency. ?Now, after the LG?s suggestion, the board has approved that land owning agencies should be charged at government to government rates instead of circle rates. The second issue was that in case JJ Bastis, existing in land belonging to the Central government or agencies like Railway, DDA and others, the respective agency may either carry out the rehabilitation themselves as per the policy of Delhi government or may entrust the job to DUSIB,? said an official.Read more: Delhi to start slum rehab policy from Sangam ParkAs per the policy, the cut-off date is January 1, 2015. This means the clusters that have come after this date will be demolished and will not be eligible for the rehabilitation.The AAP government wanted the date to be February 14, 1015, the day they formed the government, in order to keep their vote bank intact. ?Their biggest poll policy was ?Jaha Jhuggi, Wahan Makaan? and the cut-off date was fixed as February 14, keeping that in mind. But ministry of urban development has raised objection to it and in order to avoid any confrontation, the Delhi government has agreed,? said a senior Delhi government official. Read more: Over 5 lakh defecate in the open due to lack of toilets in Delhi?The thrust of the policy is in-situ rehabilitation, using land as a resource and relocation will be resorted only as an exception. Attempts will be made to rehabilitate the eligible Jhuggi Jhopri dwellers at the same location or a nearby location within a radius of 5 kilometre,? said a Delhi government spokesperson.The name of the Jhuggi Jhopri dweller must exist in at least one of the electoral rolls (voters list) of 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, and also in the year of survey, for the purpose of rehabilitation. Electricity bill has been added in the list of documents which were considered for the purpose of proof of residence.Read more: Delhi slums chosen to become ?Adarsh Basti? still waiting for developmentSteps on the cards1) DUSIB will provide 5,000 bunk beds, 10,000 mattresses along with bed sheets, blankets, pillows and pillow covers, LED, TVs, water coolers and geysers at the cost of Rs5 crore to improve the quality of life in shelters for homeless2)The board also approved four new shelters for urban homeless under National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) at Dwarka, Geeta Colony, Rohini and Nangloi, which will accommodate 72 families and 1,200 homeless people3) Construction of 582 EWS houses at Sangam Park under the scheme of in-situ rehabilitation of slum in Delhi