3 Decades After It Got Stuck, Delhi's Low-Cost Housing Scheme May Be Revived

In a bid to provide housing to the poor, the Delhi government is considering revival of the Residential Flat Registration Scheme, a low-cost housing scheme that went to cold storage in 1985.

About 27,000 applications were received when the scheme was launched, but 19,000 out of these low-income homebuyers failed to get the possession of the unit and were put on the wait-list. Another 3,000 buyers withdrew from the scheme. Now, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) is reviving the scheme and looking out for homebuyers who are still eligible under this criteria.

About the homes

Sawda Ghevra in north-west Delhi, close to Mundka, is the site of 7,260 homes meant for the economically weaker sections (EWS) that are ready for possession. Eligible beneficiaries can buy it at the market price of Rs 12-13 lakh, reports suggest. Those who were put on the waiting list earlier would be given priority, but there will be scrutiny regarding the eligibility of applicants and those that are on the wait-list.

 What prompted a revival?

About 35,000 housing units were built by the DUSIB and the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd (DSIIDC) have been lying vacant ever even as work progressed under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM).

Given that housing is not the key function of the Delhi government or the DUSIB, this low-cost housing may been forgotten for years together. However, in the wake of housing crisis in the national capital, the scheme is set to be revamped.