Nearly 240 members of two co-operative group housing societies in Dwarka Sector-4 and Sector-22 “took possession of their flats” by self-allotments on Sunday to protest against the delay by authorities in transferring the possession.
The two societies, Sarvsatyam Society and Maharani Awantika Society, held a meeting and used a lottery system to “self-allot” the flats.
Delhi BJP president Vijender Gupta, who was present on the occasion, said in the last six years, flats of about 62 societies of Dwarka have been lying ready for occupation but have not been allotted. “About 7,500 families who are members of these societies are homeless as a result,” Mr. Gupta alleged.
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He termed the attitude of the Central Public Works Department, Delhi Government and the Registrar of Group Housing Societies as “insensitive and indifferent” for keeping the flat owners waiting for such a long time and not giving them the possession of their flats.
The BJP leader justified the decision of the society members to go for self-allotment as the Government did not “awake” despite the Delhi BJP unit holding dharnas and demonstrations to protest its failure to respond to the pleas of the housing societies.
“There is an acute housing shortage in Delhi. On the one hand, 8 lakh people are applying for 16,000 flats in the current DDA Housing Scheme and on the other, there are flats ready for occupation but are not being allotted to the real owners,” Mr. Gupta said. He blamed the Congress-ruled Delhi Government for the delay.
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Earlier this year too, some Dwarka housing societies had conducted self-draws leading to the Delhi Government registering FIRs against those persons. Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit had also attempted to mediate on the issue in February this year.
Besides Mr. Gupta, Communist Party of India general secretary A.B. Bardhan had also justified the self-draw of lots, and demanded that the self-draw by some of the cooperative societies in Dwarka be regularised.