Data shows surge in sale of DDA flats in last three years

DDA’s earnings from housing sales have also increased from Rs 665 crore in 2022-23 to Rs 3176 crore in 2024-25, with officials attributing it to housing policy reforms, innovative marketing strategies, enhanced customer experience and digital transformation.

Talking to The Indian Express, officials had earlier attributed the pick-up in sale to the progress on some key infrastructural projects. While the Urban Extension Road-II was completed in August this year, the Union Cabinet approved the proposal for the Rithala-Narela-Nathupur (Kundli) corridor of Delhi Metro’s Phase-IV project last December that is expected to be completed in the next four-five years. The DDA has also offered significant discounts, going up to 25%, in attempts to offload its inventory.

This is significant for an authority that has been burdened with unsold inventory over the past decade, often constructed at far-flung locations in the city. Data submitted by Tokhan Sahu, Minister of State for Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, in the Lok Sabha earlier this month also highlighted that since the early 2000s, the DDA has constructed 62,801 flats in North Delhi’s Narela and has only been able to sell only half.

DDA officials have said that the primary reason behind the authority’s struggle to find buyers for its 31,487 apartments in Narela is the lack of connectivity. The Indian Express has previously reported that people residing there complain of substandard construction, erratic water supply, non-maintenance of common facilities and lack of security arrangements.

In Narela’s unsold inventory, the lion’s share — 24,712 flats — are Low Income Group (LIG) houses. Built on 33-50 sq metres, these units cost between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 21 lakh, if a 25% discount offered by the DDA for most housing schemes is applied.

The next highest inventory in Narela left with DDA are the 3,395 1 BHK and 1RK Economically Weaker Section (EWS) flats, built on an area of 34-62 sq metres. These cost between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 27 lakh after a discount. Besides 2,255 MIG and 1,125 HIG flats are also lying unsold in the area.

The DDA has also been attempting to rebuild the area’s image. Apart from renaming the sub-city to Vindhyachal, it also wants to position the area as an education and sports hub by allotting land parcels to various educational institutes and sports facilities.