The celebration of 575 “lucky” beneficiaries of DDA’s in-situ slum rehabilitation project did not reach the Bhoomiheen Camp JJ cluster at Kalkaji where a number of fellow dwellers expressed anguish and fear over not being included in the list.
The allottees were heavily outnumbered by people who made it to the eligibility list but did not find their name among Wednesday’s beneficiaries, and by those who, despite completing all the formalities, were not considered eligible for the 1 BHK flats.
Sonu and his mother Sooraj Mukhi, who received the keys to their dream home from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, refrained from expressing their joy as their neighbour, Meeta Rai, walked nervously outside her house at the camp, wondering what went wrong with her application.
“In June, my name appeared in the list of eligible households under the project. Since then, I have cleared all the documentation formalities and also paid the initial amount. I don’t know why the DDA officials did not get back to me on when I will get the possession of my house,” said Ms. Rai.
Kamla Haldar, another slum dweller who was included in DDA’s beneficiary list issued in February, said she was told by the authorities that she will get the possession of her house in the next phase of handovers.
A DDA engineer present at the project site at Kalkaji Extension confirmed that there will be another phase of handovers, but did not specify a timeline.
Flats for EWS
The in-situ slum rehabilitation project is part of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Urban (PMAY-U), which is implemented by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs with the objective of ensuring proper housing for eligible slum dwellers and for people from low and middle-income groups and economically weaker sections.
Of the total 2,891 households based in the Bhoomiheen Camp, 1,862 have been identified as beneficiaries under the project while a total of 3,024 EWS flats have been constructed at the project site.
According to the DDA, the 575 selected allottees were those who had deposited the nominal amount for the flats and completed the documentation. However, the likes of Ms. Rai and Ms. Haldar questioned this decision saying they too had completed the required formalities.
“I have been living at this camp since 1983. In all these years my optimism about getting proper housing has faded due to the long wait. My name is not even included in the list of beneficiaries, so I am not being hopeful about this possibility,” said Burman, a resident who runs a convenience store at the camp.
Asked about the households not included in the beneficiary list, the DDA engineer said they were found “ineligible” as they did not possess the required documents. He, however, said that such families can appeal against the decision to the appellant authority.
The engineer said the vacant flats (out of the total 3,024) at the project site will also be used to accommodate some households from two neighboring slum clusters – Jawaharlal Camp and Navjeewan camp.
