Date:03/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/03/stories/2007060305070400.htm

New Delhi

Plan to construct 24,000 flats for slum dwellers

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Government plans to construct 24,000 flats for the people of the Capital living in slums and jhuggi jhompri colonies.

Announcing this over the weekend, Development minister Rajkumar Chauhan said these flats would be constructed with pre-fabricated material. Each flat would comprise a bedroom, a living room, a kitchen and a bathroom.

Mr. Chauhan reviewed the progress of the scheme at a high level meeting of Multi Purpose Housing Committee. Following the meeting, that discussed the first phase of the project at length, he said each dwelling unit would measure 17 metres by 25 metres and the map and layout plan for the housing societies had been formulated. The Development Minister said that under the first phase 42 slum clusters have been identified and 10,000 flats would be constructed. People living in these colonies would be first allotted the flats and then removed from their existing tenements.

Mr. Chauhan said 136 acres of land in Khanjhbala and 32 acres land in Bawana had been transferred to the Delhi State Industrial Development and Infrastructure Corporation Limited by the Revenue Department for construction of these group housing societies. The foundation stone for the first phase of the scheme will be laid by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in the third week of June.