Facing ecological hurdle,government shelves low-cost housing project at Deramandi

“Environment clearance has not been given to the Deramandi project as construction is not allowed in the Ridge area. Chief Secretary Rakesh Mehta has decided to drop the project,” an official from the Urban Development department said.

The government had planned to construct 9,312 dwelling units in Deramandi. The construction cost for the project is shared by the Centre and the state government,with a major chunk of funds coming from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

As reported by Finance Minister Dr A K Walia in the budget session of the Delhi Assembly last week,the government has planned 15 housing schemes in the city.

Six of these projects,including five undertaken by the Delhi State Industrial Infrastructural Development Corporation (DSIIDC) and one by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA),are proposed for housing slum and JJ cluster dwellers. At Jonapur and Najafgarh,6,144 and 480 dwelling units will come up respectively once the projects are given the green signal.

The government is already facing a legal hurdle involving a project in Kanjhawala. Residents have moved court,alleging that construction work on the project cannot be permitted on land that belongs to the Gram Sabha.

Work on the Poothkhurd housing project under the Sub-mission on Basic Services to the Urban Poor (BSUP) of JNNURM is yet to begin as the process for land acquisition has not started.

DDA has invited tenders for the construction of 4,740 units under the slum relocation project at Narela near Siraspur village while land is being acquired for the Poothkurd project where 13,392 houses are to be constructed.

The Bawana project has,meanwhile,proved to be the government’s saving grace,with over 7,000 dwelling units ready for allotment.  The total project cost is Rs 8,886 crore.