Nine months after Delhi’s lieutenant governor ordered the reconstruction of Signature View Apartment in Mukherjee Nagar towards the north of the city and the evacuation of families from the housing complex, residents continue to reside in the dilapidated structure.
Barring a few, most of the families are still living in these buildings, which started showing signs of shoddy construction almost from the day they moved in, and refusing to vacate until they get an assurance from the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on evacuation, payment of rent for the accommodation they will be housed in, and reconstruction of flats and handover within three years.
Sources in DDA, the agency that had constructed the buildings in question, say that a final agreement is likely to be sent to the residents by next week.
Delhi Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena on January 24 had ordered DDA to evacuate and redevelop the “structurally damaged” Signature View Apartments in North Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar. He had also recommended that the Central Bureau of Investigation probe lapses in the construction of the housing complex.
Some 1,600 people are still staying in the Signature View Apartment housing complex, consisting of 12 towers and 336 flats.
Residents’ demand
Gaurav Pandey, secretary, Signature View Apartment Residents’ Welfare Association, alleged that DDA is not facilitating their vacating the flats as the agency is yet to commit to a final agreement on details about the reconstruction of flats and the rent to be paid to evacuees.
“We have come to know that DDA has put a condition that rent will be paid to residents only after all 336 flats are vacated. This is an unrealistic situation as most of the families here are unable to afford rent and their EMIs simultaneously for long. That’s why residents are apprehensive about vacating their flats. DDA should pay rent to the families within 10-15 days after they vacate the flat and hand it over to the authority,” Pandey told Moneycontrol.
He said that, for instance, if a family vacates the flat in October and it takes around another six to seven months to entirely vacate the premises during which time they will have to bear the extra burden of rent on top of the home loan EMIs.
Another resident of the society, Bhupinder Chaudhary, cited the lack of clarity on the timing of payment of compensatory rent for the delay. “Only 70-80 families have vacated the housing complex on their own. But not everyone can afford the rent and EMI. For how long will the families live on rent on their own? This will lead to a chaotic situation. DDA should first rehabilitate us and then reconstruct our flats,” Chaudhary demanded.
The offer
DDA had in June 2023 given two offers to the residents. One was direct buyback of the flats wherein the housing body would pay back the cost of capital along with interest plus the stamp duty paid at the time of registration.
The other option was the reconstruction of the flats, under which DDA would provide newly built flats at the same place with the same specifications. Further, the facilitation amount towards rent would also be paid during the construction period.
According to residents, DDA has decided to pay Rs 50,000 rent per month for HIG (high-income group) flats and Rs 38,000 for MIG (mid-income group) flats.
The issue
The Signature View Apartment Complex was built during 2007-10 by DDA and delivery started in 2012. According to the residents, construction-related issues started surfacing from 2012-13.
In 2021-22, a study conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, at the behest of DDA, found that the building was “structurally unsafe”, and suggested that the best option was to “vacate and dismantle” the complex.
Following complaints from residents, the LG on January 24 asked DDA to redevelop the housing complex and “rehabilitate the residents in the interim”.
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