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In focus
The Delhi government is chalking out a strategy to construct 10 lakh houses for the poor, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Saturday while directing officials to allot 50,000 flats to slum dwellers for resettlement in the first phase of the initiative.
“The government is preparing a comprehensive strategy to meet the demand for 10 lakh houses. These efforts are fully aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision of providing a house to every poor,” the CM said.
Her remarks came as she inspected the government flats built to rehabilitate slum dwellers in Northwest Delhi’s Sultanpuri. She directed the officials to prioritise the immediate repair of salvageable flats and reconstruct those beyond repair.
Constructed in 2016 for rehabilitation of slum-dwellers with government expenditure running into crores of rupees, the flats in Sultanpuri have remained unallocated due to the apathy and lack of intent of the previous administration, Gupta said.
A similar situation prevails for another 50,000 flats in Outer Delhi, she underlined, adding that many units have deteriorated so severely that substantial funds will now go into repairs.
The Union government has already sanctioned around Rs 732 crore to repair thousands of these flats, Gupta said.
On criticism from the Opposition over recent demolition drives in slum clusters in the Capital, Gupta said, “Parties that failed to act for years are now making noise for political gain. When they were in power, why didn’t they distribute these houses? Why were these flats allowed to turn into ruins? Were they waiting for our government to come and do the job?”
A day after she made similar remarks, the CM reiterated her promise for a flat for every slum dweller. “No one will be forced to live under the open sky, shiver in the cold, or struggle for basic sanitation. Our government is determined to guarantee every poor family security, essential facilities, and the right to a dignified life.”
A total of 1,060 houses have been built in ground plus four floor structure in Sultanpuri’s C-Block for economically weaker sections under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). The construction of the project was completed in March 2016.
The one BHK flats were to come up at a cost of Rs 52.81 crore, which later escalated to Rs 67.84 crore. The per-unit cost, as per the initial amount, was Rs 4.98 lakh. It was revised to Rs 6.40 lakh.
The tender cost of the project was set at Rs 51.72 crore, while the total expenditure reached Rs 63.83 crore.
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