DDA Slum Rehabilitation Policy: Dwellers Get Prime Importance

Willingness of the slum dwellers is supreme.

Following Mumbai’s footsteps, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has drafted a slum Rehabilitation Policy. In addition to control encroachments in Delhi, it also is a step forward in achieving the ambitious vision of Housing for All by 2022. Thus, let’s take a look at some of the aspects of the drafted policy and analyse its significance for both slum dwellers as well as real estate developers.

The First Step: Identifying the Slums and Getting the Consent

At present, there are 291 slums on DDA land. Thus, the first step involves a survey for identifying slums that will be carried out based on the dates decided by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). The key highlight of the survey will be the consent of the slum dwellers for participating as for the scheme to start, consent of about 70 per cent or more is mandatory.

Further, the survey will focus on information such as land occupied by the slum dwellers, number and type of structures such as residential, commercial, and industrial; and the list of eligible and also ineligible occupants.

Eligibility Factor

• All the slum dwellers including commercial users will be given accommodation in the redevelopment.
• Slum dwellers whose names are on the electoral roll of 1st January 2009 or prior electoral rolls and are currently residing in the Jhuggies will come under the purview of the scheme.

What if somebody doesn’t join the Scheme?

For dwellers who do not join willingly, there will be provision for their dwellings units as well. However, if they do not join the scheme even after three weeks after the approval of the project, their hutments will be removed. While they get the accommodation in the new colony, they lose out on the transit accommodation during the construction phase. Finally, if they do not join till the building permission for the project is given, they lose all the rights.

How will a developer get a project?

DDA will prepare a panel of developers, which will be categorised into three broad categories.

I category Developer: Slum clusters which are less than 1,000 hutments each
II category Developer: Slum clusters between 1,000-2,000 hutments
III category Developers: More than 2,000 hutments.

The developer who gets 70 per cent consent will get the project.

How will the land be allotted?

The land will be spared by DDA upon payment of 25 per cent of the value of open land as calculated as per the circle rates.

Benefits to the developer

• A developer gets a free sale component of land as an incentive for building free sale built-up area (FAR), which is marketable. This will be in different ratio depending upon the economic condition of the site. This free sale component can be constructed for residential or commercial use depending upon the development plan for that particular zone.
• Private land owner or developer who offer their land and construct rehabilitation tenements will also get free sale component in the form of Transferable Development Rights (TDR) once TDR policy comes into existence.

Duties of the Developer

• During the construction, developer should provide accommodation to the eligible slum dwellers by way of transit accommodation either constructed or hired by them.
• Developer will also have to provide space for all social purposes such as community halls, anganswaris and others.
• All the buildings are to be eco-friendly and disable friendly

Transfer of Tenements

As per the scheme, for a period of ten years from the date of possession of the tenements, these units cannot be sold, leased, assigned or transferred. In case of any breach, except transfer to legal heir, the unit will be taken over by DDA.

What about the land earmarked for Infra projects?

• Slums which are located on plots reserved for public purposes, wherein the same locality (in-situ) rehabilitation is not possible, the scheme can be implemented on such lands by keeping certain area for the purpose of reservation.
• In case of larger infra projects such as airport, road, flyover bridges, and railway tracks, etc, where in-situ is not possible, dwellers will be shifted to other lands offered by private developers and land-owners.