The Union Government at the instance of the Delhi Government may appear keen to regularise over 150 colonies that have come up on forest or Ridge land but in the past it has not always been so generous in allowing use of forest land for planned development projects.
The Tehkhand redevelopment project in South Delhi in which 750 high-end apartments and 3,500 dwelling units for economically weaker sections were planned as part of an in-situ project was scuttled as a portion of the 14.3 hectare plot on which it was to come up was deemed to be forest land. The argument that it was recreational area that had been turned to residential had not cut much ice.
So not only did 4,250 families not get proper housing, DDA also lost Rs.450 crore which it would have got from the bidder who would have cross subsidised the houses for the poor with those constructed for the rich.
