Latest Property News on 'Delhi'

‘Fraud in amnesty for illegal colonies’

New Delhi: A Delhi government report has found that officials broke all norms while offering amnesty to illegal colonies nearly four years ago and has called for a criminal probe to prosecute violators.
The report submitted to the Chief Secretary last November has not been made public so far. Newsline obtained a full copy of the report through a Right to Information application.

Ahead of the state elections in 2008, Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s government offered assurance of amnesty to 1,239 illegal colonies that are home to nearly a fourth of the Capital’s electorate.

The government handed Provisional Certificates of Regularisation (PCR) to representatives of these unauthorised colonies, committing that the settlements will be declared legal in subsequent years after necessary formalities.

But the report by Divisional Commissioner Vijay Dev — who was asked by Dikshit to probe complaints of irregularities in cases of three colonies — found that the Urban Development department, which managed the scheme, “completely abdicated its responsibilities” and “conveniently ignored” amnesty guidelines.

According to the report, extensive government land was “collusively allowed to be encroached and subsequently PCRs were issued”, leading to land grabbers obtaining amnesty through bogus documents.

“As a result, virtually a carte-blanche (blank cheque) was given to resident societies to submit whatever they like and PCRs were issued without even bothering to find whether the proposal is hit by the fatal ineligibilities laid down under Clause 3 (of amnesty guidelines),” the report states.

Vijay Dev submitted this report to Chief Secretary P K Tripathi on November 23 last year. The government carried out an internal inquiry and last month, it decided to cancel amnesty offered to 73 colonies.

When her comments were sought Thursday on the findings of the report, Chief Minister Dikshit told Newsline, “I haven’t yet had the time to read the report fully. I will hold a meeting of all officials next week on the issue.”

So far, the government has not acted on many recommendations of the report, like the need to register criminal cases of conspiracy with an investigative agency into these “economic offences”.

“The agency may be asked to fix responsibility and proceed against various non-officials and officials of DDA, MCD, Delhi government for their collusion with land grabbers,” the report states.

Central government guidelines required Urban Development officials to verify that the colonies receiving the amnesty existed as on March 31, 2002, and at least half the plots were built as on February 8, 2007.

The report states officials could have verified this through the relevant aerial surveys that were available, but they ignored this process and instead issued certificates to colonies, stating that documents had been scrutinised.

The report also indirectly rubbishes claims by senior government officials that the amnesty certificates were only provisional and subject to a final scrutiny before the colonies were declared legal.

In the report, Dev states that the regularisation process drives the real estate market and vested interests “rob hapless citizens of lifetime earnings” on the basis of these provisional certificates.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/fraud-in-amnesty-for-illegal-colonies/907377/0

More houses, shops in DDA budget

More houses, shops in DDA budget

New Delhi: With a focus on providing more housing in the city, Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) budget estimates (BE) for the financial year 2012-13 has hiked fund allocation for construction of houses and shops by a whopping 101.44 per cent in comparison to last year. Other areas for which the fund allocation has been increased is development of land, which was raised by 43.47 per cent, and development of infrastructure, transportation, etc., which has been increased by 30.35 per cent.

The receipts for the BE 2012-13 have been projected at Rs 7,888.26 crore as compared to the anticipated receipts of Rs 5,289.8 crore in the revised estimates (RE) 2011-12. During the year 2012-13, a sum of Rs 2,211.83 crore from disposal of land and Rs 3,417.36 crore from the disposal of houses and shops, is anticipated to come in.

Meanwhile, expenditure for the year 2012-13 have been projected as Rs 4,413.52 crore as compared to Rs 3,126.15 crore in the RE for the year 2011-12.

“To meet the demand for residential, commercial and institutional land, development works have been taken up at Rohini, Dwarka, Narela, Jasola, Okhla, Mayur Vihar, etc. Expenditure in revised budget estimate for 2011-12 has been assessed at Rs 1,376.29 crore. In the budget estimates for 2012-13, a provision of Rs 1,974.53 crore has been made under this head,’’ said a DDA official.

At the beginning of the financial year 2011-12, 12,507 houses were in progress and at various stages of completion. As many as 3,350 houses are likely to be completed soon.

Work on economically weaker section (EWS) and lower income group (LIG) housing projects are likely to be taken up during 2012-13. “In the year 2011-12, 4,855 EWS houses and 24,660 LIG houses were planned to be built in areas like Dwarka, Narela and Rohini. It is likely that tenders for construction will be awarded during the year 2012-13,’’ added the official.

A provision of Rs 222.30 crore has also been made in BE 2012-13 for construction of master plan roads. “Three urban extension roads will be constructed by DDA in the coming financial year. Other projects include development of land in Rohini Phase-IV & V by way of construction of a master plan road, construction of a 100-metre corridor expressway from GT Road to Western Yamuna Canal in Narela, construction of 80-metre master plan road from GT Karnal Road to Western Yamuna Canal and Express Road connecting Narela to Dwarka through Bakkarwala ,’’ said the official.

Other infrastructure projects include construction of three additional clover-leaf flyovers, underpass and slip road at Sarita Vihar Road No 13 A, construction of RUB at railway level crossing near Lajpat Nagar and covering of drains at Defence Colony and Lajpat Nagar.

For the maintenance of green areas, a provision of Rs 638.44 crore has been made in BE 2012-13. “This includes maintenance of biodiversity parks and development of Yamuna riverfront and other areas,’’ said an official.

Source: www.indianexpress.com/news/more-houses-shops-in-dda-budget/905868/

Evade stamp duty, pay 10-fold fine

Undervaluing your property to avoid paying full stamp duty could earn you a penalty 10 times that amount.
A property owner in northwest Delhi’s Pitampura, who tried to save R29 lakh by this method, will now have to pay a R3.22-crore penalty.
That’s not all. An FIR has been registered against him and has been sent to the economic offences wing of the Delhi Police.

The buyer bought the property at the market price of R5.37 crore. But after making a deal with the seller, a sale deed was registered at the office of the sub-registrar of Pitampura last year for just R48 lakh.
Hence, rather than paying a stamp duty of R32.22 lakh (6% of R5.37 crore) to the government, the seller merely paid R2.88 lakh.

A complaint was made to the sub-divisional magistrate, Model Town, and the northwest district deputy commissioner.

The penalty was imposed on the buyer after a scrutiny of the documents revealed the duty evasion.

Directions have been issued by Vijay Dev, divisional commissioner of Delhi and secretary (revenue), to all deputy commissioners to scrutinise all sale deeds. “We will be carrying out an exercise in the entire city. A 10-fold penalty will be imposed on those trying to undervalue their property. It will be treated as fraud and theft of government revenue. This move will help keep a check on black money too,“ Dev said.

The deputy commissioners have also been asked to keep an eye out for property transactions of a similar nature in the same locality, so that if there are discrepancies in the value, they can be investigated.

Source: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HD/2012/02/01/ArticleHtmls/Evade-stamp-duty-pay-10-fold-fine-01022012001027.shtml?Mode=1

Expose stamp duty evasion, earn reward

keep a check on owners who try to evade stamp duty by undervaluing their property, the Delhi government is examining a proposal to reward those who report such cases to them.

On an average, 20,000 properties are registered every month in the city. Undervaluation of property leads to major revenue losses for the government.
“Property owners should register their properties at the market value to avoid penalty. The penalty imposed can sometimes be bigger than the cost of the property,“ said Vijay Dev, secretary (revenue).

Several complaints of undervaluation by property owners have been registered in the north-west district. They are being examined.

“There are 10 more properties in Pitampura, which have allegedly been undervalued. We are investigating them too and if proved, penalties will be imposed on them,“ said Amit Singhla, deputy commissioner, north-west Delhi .

According to sources, the government is planning to introduce a reward scheme for those who report cases of undervaluation of properties to the revenue department. “In Delhi, a large chunk of properties are sold and re-sold as scope for constructing new properties is limited. Hence, this becomes a major source of revenue for the government. And to ensure that people report such cases to us, they have to be given some incentive. We are looking into a proposal wherein they will be either given cash reward or rebate,“ said a senior Delhi government official.

Apart from penalising property owners, disciplinary action will be taken against officials who adopt a pick-and-choose policy while dealing with cases of undervaluation of property.

“If an officer imposes penalty on one particular case of undervaluation but ignores other of similar nature, we will take action against them,“ added the official.

Source: http://epaper.hindustantimes.com/PUBLICATIONS/HT/HD/2012/02/01/ArticleHtmls/Expose-stamp-duty-evasion-earn-reward-01022012003005.shtml?Mode=1

रोहिणी स्कीम : डीडीए का कोरे वादों का प्लॉट

नई दिल्ली।। डीडीए भले ही रोहिणी स्कीम के तहत प्लॉट का इंतजार कर रहे लोगों को मार्च तक प्लॉट देने का दावा कर रहा हो, लेकिन हकीकत यह है कि पिछले 6 साल में डीडीए वहां बुनियादी सुविधाएं नहीं दे पाया है। जिन लोगों को 2004 में प्लॉट आवंटित किए गए थे, उन्हें अब तक बिजली, पानी, सीवरेज और सड़क की सुविधा नहीं मिल पाई है। नतीजा यह है कि घर बनाने के लिए डीडीए से प्लॉट लेने वाले लोग अब अपने सपने तोड़ते हुए प्रॉपर्टी डीलरों को प्लॉट बेचने को मजबूर हैं।

शिकायतों पर सुनवाई नहीं
डीडीए ने रोहिणी में 2003 में 3600, 2004 में 7400, 2005 में 1100 और 2007 में 460 प्लॉट अलॉट किए थे। 2003 और 2004 में जो प्लॉट दिए, उनका पूरा पेमेंट लिया जा चुका है। 2005 और 2007 में अलॉट हुए प्लॉट की आखिरी किस्त डीडीए ने अभी नहीं ली है। जिन लोगों को 2004 में प्लॉट दिया था, उनके डिमांड लेटर में लिखा था कि मार्च 2005 तक सारी सुविधाएं दे दी जाएंगी। साल 2004 में सेक्टर 27 में प्लॉट पाने वाले राकेश सिंह ने बताया कि वहां अभी तक बिजली, पानी, सीवरेज का कोई इंतजाम नहीं किया गया है। वहां पहुंचने के लिए सड़क तक नहीं है। ऐसे में अपना प्लॉट होने या न होने का कोई मतलब नहीं रह जाता। कुछ लोगों ने वहां घर बनाए हैं, लेकिन उन्हें जनरेटर से बिजली लेनी पड़ती है। कुछ लोगों ने एक किलोमीटर लंबा तार लगाकर बिजली का टेंपरेरी कनेक्शन लिया है। कई बार डीडीए से इस बारे में बात की गई, लेकिन कोई अधिकारी कुछ नहीं सुनता। इसी तरह, मनोज ने बताया कि उन्होंने अब प्लॉट बेच दिया है। उन्होंने कहा कि उस प्लॉट पर अपने घर का सपना देखा था, लेकिन जैसी हालत है उससे लगता नहीं कि 5 साल बाद भी वह जगह रहने लायक हो पाएगी। मनोज जैसे हजारों लोगों के सपने इस स्कीम ने तोड़े हैं।

गड्ढों में होगा प्लॉट आवंटन!
रोहिणी स्कीम के तहत करीब 25 हजार और लोगों को प्लॉट अलॉट होने हैं। डीडीए के वाइस चेयरमैन जी. एस. पटनायक के मुताबिक 21 हजार प्लॉट काट दिए गए हैं और मार्च तक बेसिक सुविधाएं मुहैया कराकर प्लॉट आवंटित कर दिए जाएंगे। जमीनी हकीकत हालांकि इससे बिल्कुल अलग है। डीडीए ने अलॉट करने के लिए सेक्टर 37 में जो प्लॉट डिमार्केशन किया है, वहां जमीन में गहरे गड्ढे हैं और उनमें पानी भरा है। कई जगहों पर खेती हो रही है। यहां करीब 1,184 प्लॉट हैं। रोहिणी स्कीम आवेदक असोसिएशन के राहुल गुप्ता कहते हैं ऐसी स्थिति में डीडीए प्लॉट कैसे अलॉट करेगा, जबकि सुप्रीम कोर्ट की गाइडलाइन है कि डीडीए प्लॉट पूरी तरह विकसित करके ही अलॉट करे। जब डीडीए ने 6 साल पहले अलॉट किए प्लॉट में बेसिक सुविधा नहीं दी तो उसके कहे पर ऐतबार कैसे किया जा सकता है।

Source: http://navbharattimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/11688793.cms

Flats crumbling: DDA to pay up for upkeep

10L One-Time Payment For Maintenance

New Delhi: For years poor maintenance of DDA group housing societies has been a sore point with flat owners.Finally,there is a silver lining in the clouds.

DDA has decided to pay up for maintenance and repair the common areas in these societies.Now,each DDA group housing society or colony comprising 100 or more houses will get Rs 10 lakh each as one-time payment for upkeep.

The decision was taken on the sidelines of the 2012-13 budget meeting on Monday.The land owning agency has constructed more than 100,000 houses in the last few decades.

Sources say a large number of houses,which were constructed around 30 years back,are in urgent need of repair.

In many old DDA colonies boundary walls,staircases,shafts for pipes are broken.These colonies are in a very bad shape.It has been decided to give Rs 10 lakh per 100 dwelling units for repair and maintenance of the colonies to RWAs,which are registered with us, said Jitender Kochar,member,DDA.

A DDA official said,The request for repair from RWA will be examined by DDA officials.The engineering department will prepare the estimates for repair and maintenance based on which the money will be released.

Sources say low income group (LIG) and Janata flats are in a dilapidated condition.The middle income group (MIG) and high income group (HIG) housing units are still in better shape as individual allottees are maintaining them.However,most of the flats need urgent repair, said a DDA official.

Following directions from Lieutenant Governor Tejendra Khanna,the land owning agency is also working on a proposal for societies or colonies,which require extensive repair work.

As per the plan,DDA will pay 50% of the total repair cost while the rest will be paid by RWAs.

There are several societies which need a facelift.And the expenditure on them is likely to run into crores.In such cases,DDA will pay just 50% of the total cost incurred on repair and maintenance.This is mainly for old group housing societies, said Kochar.
The DDA also approved its budget for 2012-13 on Monday.

The land-owning agency is optimistic about getting revenue worth Rs 7888.26 crore in 2012-13 from disposal of land,houses and shops.The agency also plans to spend a large chunk of its earnings on construction of housing societies.

It has allocated Rs 1,277 crore for the construction of houses and shops in Dwarka,Narela and Rohini in the next financial year.

It also plans to construct community halls and sports facilities in various part of the city for which Rs 39.90 crore and Rs 97.31 crore has been allocated respectively.
With an aim to provide healthy and better environment to Delhiites,the agency has allocated Rs 638 crore for the development of greens in the city.

Meanwhile,DDA has decided to refund Rs 1.05 lakh to 212 people who had applied for 2010 house allotment scheme.

Their initial deposit while applying for the draw was forfeited by DDA as they had provided wrong information in their application forms.

Earlier,DDA was not planning to return the money,but now it has been decided that DDA will deduct Rs 20,000 and return the rest of the money to 212 applicants, Kochar said.

BUDGET HIGH-POINTS

1277.55 cr allocated for construction of houses and shops

39 cr allocated for construction of 13 community halls

638.44 cr for maintenance of greens.Special focus on development of Astha Kunj,Sat Pula Lake complex and Yamuna River Front

97.31 cr for sports complexes

91.31 cr allocated for covering drains between Lajpat Nagar and Defence Colony and construction of clover leaves,underpass slip roads at Sarita Vihar

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Flats-crumbling-DDA-to-pay-up-for-upkeep/articleshow/11694391.cms

DDA to foot bill for common area upkeep

The Delhi Development Authority will make a onetime payment of R10 lakh for every 100 of its flats -or R10,000 per flat –to residents’ welfare associations to spruce up common areas of the buildings.

Common areas are staircases, shafts and service lanes, which are in a shabby state in most DDA colonies because neither residents nor the Municipal Corporation of Delhi maintain them.

The decision to allocate this amount for 3 lakh DDA flats across the city in the agency’s annual budget comes two years after its chairman, Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna, directed it to spruce up the common areas of its residential clusters.

Khanna’s directive followed a series of reports in HT from February 22-26, 2010 highlighting the neglect of common areas of DDA colonies. It was only after publication of the reports that the DDA formulated a policy on common areas that year.

“For maintenance of common areas of the flats in future, the agency will pay 50% of the cost if RWAs agree to contribute the remaining half,“ said DDA member Jitender Kochar.

It has taken 44 long years, but the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has finally woken up from its slumber.

The agency has finally allocated funds -a one time payment of R10 lakh per 100 flats -for the repair of all buildings it has constructed in last 44 years.

Getting a DDA flat allotted in their name is a dream come true for most Delhiites -for whom this is a good opportunity to buy a house at an affordable price in the Capital.

For those living in these flats, however, the experience is a nightmare -especially if the building is more than a decade old.

Once it sells a flat and the allottee takes possession, DDA simply washes its hands of the area and moves on to the next housing scheme. The new owners of these flats have to fend for themselves and the repair, renovation or reincarnation of the flats depends on their financial expediency.

In a series of reports carried between February 22 and 26, 2010, Hindustan Times had highlighted the crumbling condition of these buildings and the apathy of DDA towards them.

Though the interiors and in most cases the façade of these flats look in the pink of health, the true condition is visible in the dark staircases and toilet shafts.

These areas of common use are no one’s baby. This is because DDA has simply assumed residents will sort out trivial issues such as maintenance of common areas themselves.

Back then, DDA had told HT that once the allottees take possession of their flats, the maintenance of the buildings was not their responsibility. Residents are expected to form associations, which take care of common use areas like staircases.

Truth is such seemingly trivial issues such as crumbling staircases, leaking pipes and seeping walls lead to bad blood and regular fights between neighbours. No one wants to spend money for the part of the building used by everyone and in many cases not all stakeholders in the building want to share the expenses.

Taking note of the series, DDA was directed by the Lt Governor of Delhi , Tejendra Khanna, who is also the DDA chairman, in March 2010 to repair and upgrade the buildings.

Two years after the order, DDA has decided to make a one time payment of R10 lakh for the maintenance of common areas for each block of 100 flats in all housing societies.

Reacting to the series of reports in HT, DDA also brought in a new policy, according to which it will now take care of maintenance of flats allotted by it for 30 years.

The decision on older DDA colonies, however, was pending till now. The policy on future maintenance of old residential buildings, some of which are more than 40 years old, will be created in the next few months, a senior DDA official said.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/DDA-to-foot-bill-for-common-area-upkeep/Article1-804352.aspx

Monorail project to cover Trans-Yamuna

In order to provide public transport service in all parts of the Trans-Yamuna area, the city government has decided to chalk out a plan to extend the Monorail services in congested localities.

The government has given its in-principal approval for commissioning of a Monorail route connecting Shastri Park to Trilokpuri. The Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit, said this at an inauguration function of a community centre in the Ghonda area of north-east Delhi today.

Speaking at the function, the Chief Minister said that the new small taxis being developed by certain manufacturers would be first introduced in the Trans-Yamuna area to facilitate availability of public transport in localities situated around narrow lanes and bazaars as it is not possible and even feasible to extend the Delhi Metro services at the doorstep of each and every citizen. Low-floor buses can also not be plied in these localities.

She reminded that the Delhi Metro service was also first introduced in the Trans-Yamuna area. The Metro is plying on three routes in the Trans-Yamuna area to connect Shahdara, Anand Vihar and Mayur Vihar-Ashok Nagar to other parts of the city. With the completion of the third phase of the Delhi Metro, a number of routes and stations will be commissioned in Trans-Yamuna

Source: http://www.tribuneindia.com/2012/20120128/delhi.htm#6

Dwarka freight complex ‘poorly planned’, location might change

New Delhi: The officials are planning to reconsider plans of constructing an integrated freight complex at Sector-25 in Dwarka, as many objections have been raised against the project.
On Monday, while speaking during the inauguration of a housing project for the EWS in Dwarka, MP Mahabal Mishra said constructing the freight complex in Dwarka might not be a good idea as it would cause inconvenience to the people. Two Union ministers present at the venue seconded him and added that the freight complex was an example of “poor planning’’, which needed to be rectified.

“Dwarka is a residential colony and constructing a freight complex here would cause inconvenience to people, as trucks would enter the sub-city at all times. This will lead to congestion. Dwarka would turn into Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar. Such freight complexes should be made outside Delhi,’’ said Mishra, an MP from West Delhi.

He also spoke about construction of new link roads in and around Dwarka, which would help improve the connectivity of the sub-city.

“A sum of Rs 160 crore has been sanctioned for construction of Nangloi-Najafgarh road. This will help decongest the area. I have asked for making a new 25-km road from Chhawla to Rohtak Road that will pass via Najafgarh drain, Kakrola and Keshopur depot,” said Mishra

Backing Mishra’s statements, Union Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja said the freight complex project showed how people’s opinion was not taken into consideration during its initial planning.

“People need to be included in the planning process. We only get to know about faulty planning when we go on the ground to implement a project,’’ she said.

Urban Development minister Kamal Nath, too, pitched for the proposed freight complex to be built elsewhere. “Since the revision of MPD-2021 is going on, the solution can be sought during this exercise,’’ Nath suggested.

Regarding the proposed freight complex, a DDA official said the site had been earmarked as part of the zonal plan for the area. “No work has started on this project as yet. The complex was being made as per provisions in the Master Plan-2021,’’ the official added.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/news/dwarka-freight-complex-poorly-planned-location-might-change/903244/0

Middle-class off DDA radar for now

If you are dreaming of owning a two or three-bedroom house in the capital, do not pin your hopes on the Delhi Development Authority (DDA).

For Delhi’s middle class, a DDA flat is the only hope of owning an affordable house in the city. But their hopes may be dashed, at least for now, as DDA has shifted its focus on building one-bedroom houses for economically weaker sections (EWS).

DDA, the country’s biggest land development agency, plans to start constructing one lakh houses in the lower income group (LIG) and EWS categories this year. So for the next couple of years, it is not starting any new project for the middle and higher income group categories (two and three-bedroom houses).

“At present, EWS and LIG houses are our priority areas. Bigger houses are nowhere on the radar,” said a DDA official who didn’t wish to be named.

“However, projects that are already going on would be completed in the next few years but that number is not substantial,” the official said. “Also, the prices of these two or three-bedroom houses would be on the higher side. We are constructing them with better specifications, which will increase the cost.”

In the last housing scheme launched in 2010, the majority of houses offered by DDA were one-bedroom. There were 599 three-bedroom houses, 3,187 two-bedroom houses, and 12,073 one-bedroom and janta flats.

While the average plinth area of an EWS flat is between 20 and 25 square metres, that of a two-bedroom flat could be between 60 and 110 square metres. The area of a three-bedroom house is between 120 and 180 square metres.

Source: http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-news/NewDelhi/Middle-class-off-DDA-radar-for-now/Article1-802648.aspx