New Delhi

Ministry clears proposal for new structures at 21 jhuggi clusters

NEW DELHI: The Union Ministry for Urban Development has cleared a proposal for in-situ rehabilitation of about 50,000 jhuggis at 21 sites across Delhi and directed the Delhi Development Authority to immediately start work on the project, according to Minister of State for Urban Development Ajay Maken.

The decision was taken at a meeting with DDA officials that was chaired by Urban Development Minister S. Jaipal Reddy on Tuesday, said Mr. Maken, adding that the jhuggi dwellers would be rehabilitated over an area of about 85 hectares. For the 55,000 planned dwelling units that would come up in multi-storey apartments, an FAR of 400 has been sanctioned as against the FAR of 200 that is provided to group housing societies.

Of the 21 identified sites, schemes for four have already been prepared and work on these will start by December this year, Mr. Maken said. For the remaining 17 sites, consultants have been appointed, he elaborated.

The Minister said as per the principle of in-situ rehabilitation, the jhuggis would be rehabilitated according to a three-pronged strategy that would entail construction of new multi-storey dwelling units on the vacant space available on the site itself so that the dwellers are not uprooted and can move to the new units upon construction. Also, clubbing of the sites would be undertaken with the nearest jhuggi within a radius of 2 km if no vacant space is available within a given jhuggi cluster where construction is to be undertaken. In cases where neither of these two plans is possible, the dwellers would be shifted to nearby transit camps for a short while so that construction can be completed and they can be rehabilitated at the same site .

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