Even as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Wednesday floated tenders to hire a contractor to demolish the Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar over safety issues, residents are unclear on the procedure for vacating the premises, handing over the documents and keys to their flats, and rent remuneration for other premises they will live in till the project is reconstructed.
Residents said the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued last month by the DDA did not mention a timeline or provide information on rent remuneration. The residents’ welfare association (RWA) said approaches by over 110 residents have not elicited a response from the DDA.
“After we received the SOPs, 110 residents reached out to hand over the keys so that the rent can be started. However, the staff on the ground is still unaware of the process and has no clarity on what documents and clearances they need. They have now asked the housing department to provide clearer directions. DDA is in clear violation of court orders, and they are playing with the lives of people by delaying this process without reason,” said Gaurav Pandey, general secretary of Signature View RWA.
The DDA did not respond to requests for comment.
According to a letter accessed by HT, the engineering department on March 12 wrote to the housing department seeking clarity on the procedure to collect documents and keys. “Before proceeding further, this office requires clarification…timeline for collecting documents and keys from allottees and vacation of flats…In addition to the NOCs for water and electricity supply, are there any other NOCs that need to be collected from the residents like property tax etc,” it wrote.
The department also sought to know if a NOC is to be given to allottees who are vacating the flats and if there was a format for it. “Calls and emails from many residents have been received by the concerned staff regarding the submission of documents and keys. Some residents have already submitted documents through emails and in hard copies. You are therefore requested to provide clarification…,” the letter said.
The Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar, north Delhi, was declared “unfit for habitation” according to an IIT Delhi report in November 2022, which called for the premises to be immediately vacated and dismantled. However, over two years since the report and the lieutenant governor’s order to pull down and reconstruct the society, the process has still not been initiated by the DDA, forcing residents to continue their stay bearing risks.
The apartment project was launched in 2007 across 2.16 acres, with 12 towers containing 336 HIG and MIG flats. Possession was given in 2012. After orders to reconstruct the society and negotiations through last year, the DDA had offered to either buy back the flats or provide rent for three years. However, the DDA mentioned that rent remuneration would only be started once all the flats were vacated, which some residents objected to and approached the court.
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