The East Delhi Hub at Karkardooma — a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) project by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), the foundation stone of which was laid in December 2019 — is awaiting statutory clearances.
The project envisions an integrated development hub, bringing together residential, recreational and workplaces. It will be in close proximity to the Blue and Pink metro corridors. The project will be developed by the National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC) on roughly 30 hectares.
1,000 dwelling units
Senior DDA officials said that as per current proposals, around 1,000 dwelling units, apart from those under the Economically Weaker Section (EWS) category, will be constructed in the first phase. According to the DDA, a provision of ₹500 crore has been allotted for 2021-22 and tenders have been floated by the NBCC.
“As of now, there is a proposal to construct around 1,000 dwelling units and it is at the approval stage. We are waiting for statutory clearances like fire and environmental clearances. We are hoping to obtain the requisite clearances within a couple of weeks,” a senior DDA official said.
“Once we obtain the requisite clearances, the declaration of the tenders is likely to be made and further work is expected to begin immediately,” the official added.
Public transport
Senior DDA officials connected to the project explained that the TOD policy was primarily aimed at encouraging use of public transport. “The policy mandates that residential, commercial, civic or institutional establishments have to be in close proximity to allow locals to access facilities like plazas and shared parks. This would also enable people to walk, cycle and use public transportation over personal modes of transport,” the official said.
According to the TOD policy for Delhi, development along or around transit corridors can have higher floor area ratio (FAR) to accommodate more residential, office and recreational spaces in walking or cycling distance of the transit stations.
On PPP basis
DDA vice-chairman Anurag Jain said: “The NBCC has already floated tenders after approval of the proposal. The DDA will be building one set of residential area under the TOD project while the rest will be done on a Public-Private-Partnership basis.”
The much-awaited TOD policy, which was approved by the DDA in September 2019, entails development of “high-density, mixed-use, mixed-income buildings within a short distance of a rapid public transport network”.
In December last year, the land-owning agency had suggested modifications to the TOD policy by identifying 12 nodes which were meant to be mass transit stations according to influence zones identified by the DDA.
“The provisions of this regulation shall only be applicable in the influence zones of such identified TOD nodes. A TOD approach in Delhi will help in bringing people and jobs closer to mass transit and lead to walkable, mixed use developments within influence zones of transit stations,” a senior DDA official said.
