Signature View Apartments residents told to leave by Dec 25, HC stay extended

In November, residents had moved the Delhi High Court for a stay on the Delhi Development Authority’s demolition orders. The DDA had set November 30 as the deadline for residents to vacate the premises. The petitioners had submitted a list of 13 prayers to the court which ranged from demanding the DDA pay a one-time cost for the interior work done by residents in their homes to increasing the interest on the buyback offer from the DDA from 10.6% to 18%.

Sanjeev Singh, the advocate from the residents’ side, said there was a hearing on Friday regarding the matter in the HC. “The DDA had moved for an order that residents vacate so that they can start paying the rent. We told the court that whatever rent is being offered by the DDA is not sufficient. The DDA was also requesting that the premises be vacated immediately but residents can’t vacate before March 31 since their children have exams coming up.”

The HC has extended the stay, said Singh. The next hearing is scheduled for January 23.

When asked for a comment, the DDA did not respond.

According to the conditions set by the DDA, the land authority had agreed to pay HIG flat owners Rs 50,000 a month and MIG flat owners Rs 38,000 a month as rent while the authority rebuilt the buildings on an as-is-where-is basis. However, residents alleged that the current rent rate for similar flats ranged between Rs 1 to 1.25 lakh in nearby areas.

“According to the CPWD, a property’s rental value is estimated at 7% of the property value. That makes us eligible for Rs 1 lakh a month for HIG houses and Rs 80,000 a month for MIG houses,” said Om Prakash Rai, a resident.

The DDA had also set the condition that it would only start paying rent to residents once all 336 owners signed the agreement. Residents, on the other hand, wanted to negotiate with the DDA to reduce it to 70% of owners.