NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is set to begin releasing rent payments to residents of Signature View Apartments, many of whom have vacated their flats after they were declared structurally unsafe.
President of the apartment building’s RWA, Amrendra Singh Rakesh on Tuesday said: “We have received the rent agreement that will be signed between the flat owners and DDA. The authority will be paying rent from January to July month this year and then after till the demolition and reconstruction work is completed.”
In a high-level meeting chaired by Lt Governor VK Saxena last month, the DDA approved the payment of the facilitation amount towards rent to flat owners till the reconstructed flats are handed back to them. There was no immediate response from the DDA on the matter.
The agreement clause read, “During the period commencing from 1/1/2025 or the date of actual vacation of the property till the date on which possession of the reconstructed property is handed over to the flat owner, the authority shall pay to the flat owner a monthly facilitation payment.”.
Situated in North Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar area, the housing complex, built between 2007 and 2009 and allotted under a DDA scheme by 2011-12, has faced severe structural deterioration over the years.
There are around 336 high-income group (HIG) and middle-income group (MIG) flats at the complex which have developed severe structural issues over time, including deep cracks in walls and ceilings, raising safety concerns.
In 2022 IIT-Delhi conducted a structural study of the 12 towers of the residential complex and found the complex to be “structurally unsafe.”
Taking note of the problems faced by the residents in 2023, Saxena asked the DDA to redevelop the entire apartment complex and rehabilitate the flat owners.
“As per the terms of agreement, DDA will be paying Rs 50,000 for HIG flats and Rs 38,000 for MIG flat owners. There are 135 owners who have vacated the flats till now, they will be given the amount first,” the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) president Rakesh added.
The Delhi High Court had in December last year directed the DDA to ensure the flats were vacated within three months and rent assistance provided immediately. The land owning agency had issued an tender in March this year, to demolish the apartments.
