‘Came to live here, didn’t know this would be the condition’: Residents of Narela’s DDA flats flag poor facilities

This is DDA’s housing project in Narela, 44 km from the city centre, where towers lie vacant.

The distance and lack of basic amenities have been a major grouse among residents. Rahul Luhach, 22, a resident of Narela Pocket 4, Sector G2, says everything is more than 3 km away from here. “There are no buses or auto rickshaws. You are dependent on personal vehicles.”

“Hum aa toh gaye idhar, lekin hume pata nahi tha aisi haalat hogi (We came to live here, but didn’t know this would be the condition),” his mother chimes in.

While the DDA put up close to 10,000 flats for sale in three schemes launched this year, at a 25% discount for disadvantaged groups — women, war widows, construction labourers and auto-rickshaw drivers among others — it has been able to sell just over a quarter (2,628) of its units.

To be sure, 83 of the 105 units on offer under the Special Housing Scheme 2025 e-auction have been sold, but these are mostly in prime locations — Vasant Kunj, Dwarka and Rohini. Flats under the Sabka Ghar Awaas Yojana and Shramik Awaas Yojana, available in far-flung locations such as Narela, Siraspur and Loknayakpuram, have struggled.

But officials see a silver lining in these numbers. More than 2,000 out of the 2,628 flats sold were built for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), costing around Rs 9 lakh in some pockets and going up to Rs 24.70 lakh in pockets closer to GT Karnal Road.

DDA Flats in Narela in Delhi, (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

As affordable housing sales pick up while other categories are still lagging, The Indian Express visits the area and speaks to residents, property dealers and officials to understand why.

Narela Pocket 4, Sector G2

Ujjwal Sharma (22), his two siblings, and parents have taken possession of their one-bedroom EWS flat, but they don’t stay there. They live in the nearby Bhorgarh village. “Paani jo aata hai vo khaara aata hai aur vo bhi kabhi kabhi hi aata hai (There is no water and even when there is supply, it is not clean),” says Ujjwal’s mother, who did not wish to be named.

Most flats on the first and second floors have been bought, says Ujjwal, and the family plans to move in once more people arrive.
Rahul Luhach complains of theft. “Chori hai sabse bada mudda (theft is the biggest problem). Thieves break into houses and steal locks, wiring, and even balcony railings,” he says. “The area remains mostly deserted.”

Currently, almost all flats, except those occupied, show signs of being broken into — locks and latches are broken and windows shattered. A thick layer of dust covers all available surfaces.

Rahul and his parents moved from Gurgaon to Narela so they could be closer to his father’s workplace in Rohini. They’ve been living in the Low-Income Group (LIG) house — which also has only a single bedroom, but is larger than an EWS flat — for less than a month but hope things will get better once more people move in.

“Since Sunday, more and more people have been coming to see the flats since the Metro was announced,” the DU’s School of Open Learning graduate says. On December 6 last year, the Union Cabinet approved the Rithala-Narela-Nathupur (Kundli) corridor under Phase 4 of the Delhi Metro.

On complaints by residents of lack of connectivity and water supply, the DDA spokesperson blamed “non-cooperation from the previous Delhi government”.

DDA Flats in Narela in Delhi (Express Photo by Gajendra Yadav)

“The DTC and Delhi Jal Board, which was under the administrative control of the previous Delhi government, were reluctant to support DDA in its endeavour to develop the sub city… Despite payments being made to DJB by the DDA, water supply was not provided as per the committed timelines by the former. Similarly, despite repeated requests for route rationalisation made to DTC, no action was taken,” he said.

“With the change in government, the growth of Narela will pick up exponentially,” he added.

“At present, due to regular follow-up with the DTC, 20 bus routes linking Narela Bus Terminal to various locations are in operation. DDA has already taken up the matter with DTC to modify and expand bus routes to further enhance connectivity with different housing pockets in Narela. E-rickshaw services are available in adequate numbers, providing last-mile connectivity,” he said.

“The day-to-day requirement of water supply is already met,” the spokesperson added.

Narela Pocket 11, Sector G7/8

Untrimmed bushes spill over onto roads and into houses here, and wild grass reaches as high as the second floor in some places. Apart from some security guards at the entrance, the entire complex looks empty. Only two houses seem to be occupied out of 15,000 units in Pocket 11.

Only two houses are occupied of the 15,000 units in Pocket 11, according to property dealer Nitish Singh (27). “Idhar board lagwayo AIIMS ka, Kendriya Vidyalaya ka, Metro ka, same din saare flat bik dunga… kabse Metro ka wada kar rakha hai, abhi tak kaam shuru nahi hua. Jaise hi logo ko Metro ka pillar dikhega, saare flat bik jaayenge (If work starts on AIIMS, Kendriya Vidyalaya and Metro, I will be able to sell all houses in a single day… They have promised a Metro for so long but have not started work. As soon as people see a Metro pillar, all flats will be sold)”, Singh says.

While EWS houses under the Sabka Ghar scheme have seen a good response, only 105 flats out of 700 EWS flats on sale for construction workers under the Shramik Awaas Yojana have been sold. According to Singh, most units allotted in the scheme are on the top floors, which is not attractive to buyers.

Only around 80 Middle Income Group (MIG) and High Income Group (HIG) flats have been sold in Narela. Their price ranges from Rs 75 lakh to Rs 1.24 crore, but similarly priced houses in Noida or Gurgaon come with facilities like clubhouses and swimming pool access.

Narela Pocket 1C, Sector A1

Six km away, Pocket 1C is comparatively more inhabited than other DDA complexes, with children seen playing and a couple of general stores open on the ground-floor apartments.

Arshad Choudhary, a 42-year-old property consultant, says that out of the 2,000 EWS flats in this society, only 300 are left. Around 400 families have already moved into their EWS flats. “Jab metro ka pillar gadhta hai, toh prabhav hota hai. Abhi toh discount ki wajah se bik gaye hai (When the Metro pillar is erected, then there is an impact. Right now, flats are being sold due to the discount),” he says.

But residents complain of the lack of public transport options. “There are no buses or autos nearby,” says Rajrani, 57.

She also complains of theft. “Kisi ne meri 2,600 ki chappal churali, vo bhi din mein. Vo mere bete ne di thi mujhe (Someone stole my pair of slippers worth Rs 2,600… in broad daylight. It was a gift from my son).”

Rajinder Singh, SHO Narela-Outer North, says, “We don’t receive many complaints regarding theft, just one or two calls every 10-15 days or so… we have already increased patrolling in the last two months and will step it up as more and more people settle here.”