Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Aam Aadmi Party govt to build 27,000 LIG, EWS flats - Navbharat Times

Aam Aadmi Party govt to build 27,000 LIG, EWS flats - Navbharat Times:



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Planning to buy property online? Research well before taking a decision - Navbharat Times

Planning to buy property online? Research well before taking a decision - Navbharat Times:



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Now, an apartment comes with Rs 100 cr price tag! - Navbharat Times

Now, an apartment comes with Rs 100 cr price tag! - Navbharat Times:



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Half of the country's needs could be met by empty houses - Navbharat Times

Half of the country's needs could be met by empty houses - Navbharat Times:



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online portal for land enquiry - Navbharat Times

online portal for land enquiry - Navbharat Times:



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The properties to be auctioned done Investment in office space, ET - Navbharat Times

The properties to be auctioned done Investment in office space, ET - Navbharat Times:



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ask your question from legal expert Murari Tiwari - Navbharat Times

ask your question from legal expert Murari Tiwari - Navbharat Times:



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Expressway - Navbharat Times

Expressway - Navbharat Times:



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Why Take the Highridge Building - Navbharat Times

Why Take the Highridge Building - Navbharat Times:



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Expressway will - Navbharat Times

Expressway will - Navbharat Times:



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Connectivity is good so early inhabitant city - Navbharat Times

Connectivity is good so early inhabitant city - Navbharat Times:



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Property in Gurgaon - Navbharat Times

Property in Gurgaon - Navbharat Times:



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Faridabad Property Times - Navbharat Times

Faridabad Property Times - Navbharat Times:



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some areas are out of luteyns zone, builder's project wiil launch in these areas - Navbharat Times

some areas are out of luteyns zone, builder's project wiil launch in these areas - Navbharat Times:



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East Delhi to soon get 8,000 flats in its two smart cities which will be ready within 5 years - Navbharat Times

East Delhi to soon get 8,000 flats in its two smart cities which will be ready within 5 years - Navbharat Times:



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Smart 8000 will be flat in Delhi - Navbharat Times

Smart 8000 will be flat in Delhi - Navbharat Times:



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Some other properties Story - Navbharat Times

Some other properties Story - Navbharat Times:



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super rich seeking opportunity in slow property market - Navbharat Times

कैलाश बाबर, मुंबई

इंडिया के सुपर रिच को सुस्त प्रॉपर्टी मार्केट में खरीदारी के मौके नजर आ रहे हैं। पिछले एक हफ्ते में कॉर्पोरेट वर्ल्ड की जानीमानी हस्तियों ने साउथ मुंबई के दो बड़े बंगले के सौदे किए हैं। इनके अलावा एक और शानदार प्रॉपर्टी कारमाइकल रोड पर हिंदुस्तान यूनिलीवर का गेस्ट हाउस अल्हैम्ब्रा बिकने वाला है, जिसमें बहुत से लोग दिलचस्पी ले रहे हैं।

पिछले हफ्ते उद्योगपति कुमार मंगलम बिड़ला मालाबार हिल में 30,000 वर्गफुट में बने समुद्र की तरफ रुख वाले बंगले जटिया हाउस के लिए सबसे ज्यादा बोली लगाई थी। आदित्य बिड़ला ग्रुप के चेयरमैन इस प्रॉपर्टी के लिए 425 करोड़ दे रहे हैं। इस हिसाब से यह देश में बंगले की सबसे महंगी डील है। इससे पहले 2012 में माहेश्वरी हाउस की 400 करोड़ में डील हुई थी।

पूनावाला ग्रुप के चेयरमैन, सायरस पूनावाला अमेरिकी कौंसुलेट का ब्रीच कैंडी स्थित लिंकन हाउस 750 करोड़ रुपये में खरीद रहे हैं। यह प्रॉपर्टी 2.06 एकड़ में फैली है और यह जटिया हाउस की तुलना में काफी बड़ी है। पिछले साल गोदरेज फैमिली ने होमी जहांगीर भाभा का घर मेहरानगीर खरीदा था। डॉ. भाभा को भारतीय अटॉमिक प्रोग्राम का पिता कहा जाता है। यह घर मालाबार हिल पर स्थित है और गोदरेज फैमिली ने इसे 372 करोड़ रुपये में खरीदा था।


बिड़ला, पूनावाला, गोदरेज और दूसरे रईस आइकॉनिक प्रॉपर्टीज के लिए ऊंची कीमत दे रहे हैं और वे इन्हें पर्सनल यूज के लिए खरीद रहे हैं। मार्केट्स एक्सपर्ट्स को ऐसी और डील होने की उम्मीद है। उनका कहना है कि इस तरह के प्राइवेट रेजिडेंस में दिलचस्पी बढ़ रही है। ऐसे घर वे लोग खरीद रहे हैं, जिनके लिए पैसा कोई इश्यू नहीं है। पीडब्ल्यूसी इंडिया में पार्टनर (ट्रांजैक्शन सर्विसेज) शशांक जैन ने कहा, 'इन डील्स के आधार पर मार्केट रेट का अंदाजा लगाना ठीक नहीं होगा क्योंकि ये कमर्शल और टेक्निकल वैल्यूएशंस पर बेस्ड नहीं हैं। ये डील्स बड़ी हैं। इनमें से ज्यादातर घर पर्सनल यूज के लिए खरीदे गए हैं। इन घरों को खरीदने के लिए मारामारी नहीं मची है। जो लोग ये घर खरीद रहे हैं, उनके लिए पैसा कोई इश्यू नहीं है।' एक्सक्लूसिव और आइकॉनिक स्टेटस के चलते इन घरों की मांग है।

इस बारे में जेएलएल इंडिया के कंट्री हेड अनुज पूरी ने कहा, 'इस तरह की प्राइम प्रॉपर्टीज की सप्लाई बहुत कम है। ये अपने आप में अनोखी प्रॉपर्टीज हैं।' ऐसी बहुत कम लोकेशंस हैं, जहां सुपररिच रहना चाहते हैं। साउथ मुंबई में कारमाइकल रोड, एल्टामाउंट रोड, नेपीयन सी रोड और मालाबार हिल में इस तरह की प्रॉपर्टी की मांग है।

नई दिल्ली में लुटियंस जोन, डॉ. एपीजे अब्दुल कलाम रोड (हाल तक इसका नाम औरंगजेब रोड था), अमृता शेरगिल मार्ग और पृथ्वीराज रोड सुपररिच के पसंदीदा इलाके हैं। दिल्ली में भी ऐसी बड़ी प्रॉपर्टी डील्स हो रही हैं। इस साल सुभाष चंद्रा के एस्सेल ग्रुप ने लुटियंस जोन में 304 करोड़ में एक बंगला खरीदा था। हाल ही में पृथ्वीराज रोड पर एक बड़े एक्सपोर्टर ने 173 करोड़ में एक बंगला खरीदा था।

ask your question from legal expert murari tiwari - Navbharat Times

ask your question from legal expert murari tiwari - Navbharat Times:



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This certificate is necessary for you - Navbharat Times

This certificate is necessary for you - Navbharat Times:



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Fear of new regulations NRIs are selling property in India - Navbharat Times

Fear of new regulations NRIs are selling property in India - Navbharat Times:



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Property can be registered below circle rate, rules Delhi HC - Navbharat Times

Property can be registered below circle rate, rules Delhi HC - Navbharat Times:



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Property prices fell in 57 percent parts of Delhi - Navbharat Times

Property prices fell in 57 percent parts of Delhi - Navbharat Times:



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Govt wants municipal bodies to simplify land use change to boost housing - Times of India

NEW DELHI: As cities and towns are struggling to meet the growing need of housing, government has a series of prescriptions for municipal bodies and development authorities to augment land supply for this purpose, particularly for affordable housing. It has also recommended that authorities simplify the process of sanctioning land use change once the master plans are notified.


The housing and poverty alleviation ministry last week told the authorities that if a particular patch of land falls under "residential zone" in the master plan then it should be treated as deemed permission for "non-agricutural" use.




Permissions relating to change of land use from agriculture to non-agriculture delays project take-off by up to one-and-a-half years and the cost escalation could be as high as 40%.




Considering the fact that about 95% of the housing shortage exists in the category of economically weaker sections (EWS) and low income groups (LIG), the ministry has suggested city managers to introduce a "mandatory reform". The ministry has suggested development authorities make it compulsory to reserve 10-15% of land in new layout plans for EWS and LIG housing and to convert land in fringe areas of cities into urban land. It also suggested that the authorities should relax density norms for affordable housing and allow floor space index (FSI) and transferable development rights (TDR).





Stressing that reforms will be key to urban development and finding solutions to civic chaos, urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu told municipal commissioners on Friday, "While addressing the issue of geographical spread, only the deserving will be assisted." He had also referred to sub-optimal performance in respect of promoting reforms, physical targets and resource mobilization under the urban renewal mission.




He had blamed weak urban governance structures, uninspiring leadership of both selected and elected urban managers, poor inventory management and resource base as the reasons behind the urban chaos across the country.

Wednesday, June 15, 2016

Property dispute case drags on for over 30 years despite being heard by 75 judges; HC terms it 'very unfortunate' | Latest News & Updates at Daily News & Analysis

"The Delhi High Court has termed it "very unfortunate" that an appeal regarding a property dispute was pending before it for over 30 years and no satisfactory solution was found despite the fact that 75 judges have heard the matter.

Justice VK Shali observed that in Delhi, prices of land have risen beyond imagination and whenever there is a property dispute, the effort of one party is to bring the other to its knees by tiring out its resources and patience.



The court said, "It is really very unfortunate that this appeal has remained pending on the board of this court for almost 30 years and has to pass through hands of as many as 75 Judges or so but still the solution to the problem of dividing the property (which happens to be the piece of land measuring approximately 7794.63 square yards along with superstructure) could not be found out to the satisfaction of all parties." "In city of Delhi, the prices of land have risen beyond imagination. As a matter of fact, the prices have become prohibitive to own house, plot or flat," it said.

The court further noted, "As a necessary consequence of this, wherever there is a dispute between the co-sharers of a property, effort of one party is to bring the other party to its knees by tiring out its resources and patience so that it becomes almost a distress sale by such a party to the other co-sharer."

The court's observation came on an appeal filed by a man, who has passed away, against the judgement and decree passed by the trial court on July 1985 in a suit for partition of a plot measuring 7794.63 square yards in Mayapuri here.

On the basis of submissions of the parties, a preliminary decree was passed by the trial court and later on a judgement was passed on the suit.

The man had moved the high court challenging the judgement and decree passed in July 1985 by the trial court by virtue of which certain specified portions which were earmarked as super structures was to be shared amongst the parties while the land was stated to be common.

The high court, after hearing the submissions, said that it was left with no other alternative but to appoint a local commissioner for inviting bids for sale of the suit property.

"Having regard to the aforesaid facts, I feel that a senior advocate deserves to be appointed as court commissioner for the purpose of conducting an open, transparent and a fair sale of the suit property by inviting bids," the court said and fixed the matter for further directions on September 29."


DDA's new farmhouse policy to provide enhanced built-up area : Mail Today, News - India Today

 "DDA's new farmhouse policy to provide enhanced built-up area
The new policy on farmhouses will enable construction up to 3,000 sq meters.


Mail Today  | Posted by Arpan Rai
New Delhi, June 15, 2016 | UPDATED 08:33 IST
A +A -

BRIEFCASE
1New policy will provide for enhanced built-up area.
2DDA is waiting for approval of Urban Development Ministry.
3South MCD has passed the plans of 3,000 farmhouses.
The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) may come up with its new policy on farmhouses by end of this month. The policy providing for enhanced built-up area is awaiting approval of the Union Urban Development Ministry which is likely to be given soon, sources said.
Once approved, notification in this regard will be issued by the Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government while it will be the responsibility of the concerned municipal corporations to implement the same.
HOW WILL THE NEW POLICY CHANGE THE STATUS QUO?
Ads by ZINC


"At present, farmhouses which are between 2.5 acres and 5 acres can have constructions only up to 300 sq meters which is very less as compared to the plot size. But the new policy will enable construction up to 3,000 sq meters. As per the policy, once it is notified, the MCD's will be monitoring the implementation," said Subhash Arya, Leader of the House in South MCD.
The one-acre farmhouses that come under the Low Density Residential Area can construct three residential units measuring up to 1,200 sq meters.
At present, these plot owners can only construct up to 100 sq meters.

EASE FOR FARMHOUSES UNDER CONSTRUCTION
As per the amendments in policy, farmhouses in which some construction has already taken place and want to construct beyond the available limit will still be able to regularise their property by paying the penalty per sq meter of area beyond the permissible limit.
It would be easy to get the farmhouse construction plan passed by the municipal corporation.
An official explained that if a farmhouse has construction up to 3,000 sq meters and the owner wants to extend it to another 600 sq meters, they will have to pay the penalty to regularise the constructed portion after registering it.
If the farmhouse owners during construction extended till the road, the road would fall under the jurisdiction of the south MCD.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE OWNERS OF THE FARMHOUSE
Owners will have to widen the roads as per the policy. The farmhouse will be divided and considered under different floor area ratio. South MCD has passed the plans of 3,000 farmhouses."


DDA will lease out 18 parks in August - Times of India

NEW DELHI: Unable to curb tent mafia, Delhi Development Authority has decided to lease out 18 of its big parks for a year. Officials say these sites will be auctioned next month. The decision was taken after the agency got complaints of parks being occupied by tent mafia.
DDA had suspended three officials after it found the tent mafia active in areas like Pitampura. Then DDA vice-chairperson Balvinder Kumar had ordered an inquiry into the matter. These parks are spread over 2-3 acres and the tent mafia had erected huge temporary structures. Sources say the agency is unable to keep a tab on mafia activity in these parks. That is why the agency has decided to auction these parks. "These parks are usually hired by the middle class and affluent. DDA will earn a good revenue," said an official.
Latest Comment

tent mafia had erected huge temporary structures -> Leasing is a good idea, however, no structures should be allowed, else, public will not be able to use these parks freely .. Are these parks f... Read More
Jay K

There are over 200 parks which people can book for weddings and other functions. "The problem was faced in bigger parks, which are few in number. This will end the menace, as each sites will be managed by a firm for a year," said a DDA official. In May, the then DDA vice-chairperson had directed officials to ensure that all illegal structures will be removed and the agency will come up with a system to prevent illegal activity on their land.
To break the nexus between DDA engineers and tent mafia, the land owning agency had started online booking of parks a few years ago. After several complaints, the online system was reviewed and suspended."


Haryana, DDA officials meet to expedite Dwarka e-way - Times of India

GURGAON: Senior officials of the Haryana government and Delhi Development Authority held a meeting in the national capital last week to expedite the land acquisition process for the remaining portion of the Northern Peripheral Road, commonly known as Dwarka expressway.
According to officials, a 1.8km stretch of unacquired land near Dwarka is causing a roadblock for the project. The total required land is 25 acres. According to sources, the landowners are demanding Rs 40 crore per acre. Officials, however, say raising another Rs 1,000 crore is nearly impossible.
"We held a meeting with DDA officials and have come to know that the acquisition process is being handled by the public works department (buildings and roads) branch. We had asked the DDA to provide 150-metre-wide road to connect Gurgaon and Dwarka, but they have said they will be able to provide only 80-metre-wide road," said a senior state government official.
Since other departments are involved in this matter, the Haryana government has sought a meeting with the Delhi chief secretary at the earliest to sort out this matter. "We want the land acquisition matter to be sorted out at the earliest. This 1.8km stretch is what is holding up things. We are planning to meet the Delhi chief secretary and all departments concerned so that work can be started soon," he said.
In the proposed meeting, the authorities will also discuss the compensation amount that will have to be paid to the landowners.
Tens of real estate projects are yet to see the light of day because the expressway has been delayed by seven years. This 18km stretch of 150m-wide road is supposed to provide a congestion-free ride between Delhi, Gurgaon and Manesar.
Latest Comment

Urgently and early decision is required on the subject,this project is already very delay.Public of both the cities will be relieved.
scp

In May, the Punjab and Haryana high court dismissed the last bunch of pending writ petitions, paving the way for speedy construction of the road. The litigation had held up investment of about Rs 50,000 crore by property buyers. The road is expected to reduce the travel time between West Delhi and Gurgaon by 40% as one will be able to skip a portion of NH-8. The road will connect with NH-8 straight at IFFCO Chowk, where plans are to construct a bypass through Pataudi Road.
More than 42,000 housing units are in various stages of construction around the expressway. Of these, nearly 35% are in the luxury segment, according to realtors. Though the court has cleared the litigational hurdle, realtors say the link road in Delhi's jurisdiction may take another year to come up."




DDA to auction small land pockets in dense areas

 "Struggling to protect its vacant land parcels from encroachment, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to auction small land parcels in densely-populated areas. Officials said data will be put online for public scrutiny by the year-end.

At present, the land-owning agency is compiling data of all the vacant plots under its jurisdiction. "Vacant land near residential areas will be put up for auction for development purpose depending on the land use. This will help in optimal utilization of land and generate revenue," said a senior DDA official.

"For every land parcel, officials will have to take nine photographs of the plot from all directions and of the official who is in charge of the land. The database will also have details like size of the land, extent of encroachment and the legal status," said a DDA official.

To protect its land from encroachment, DDA is planning to use Delhi government's Geographic Information System (GIS) data. "Encroachment has been a pressing concern for long. We are now going to work in coordination with the government's revenue department to use their facility of GIS mapping to check encroachment on our vacant lands," said a senior official.

But before using the GIS facility for accurately marking land coordinates and identifying the extent of encroachment, officials said there is a need to identify vacant plots. The final database will be updated every three months. "This will help us know the exact status of the land. Our aim is to identify large chunks of plots. Through GIS mapping we can monitor the plots," the official said.

At present, the authority has 77,083 acres of land under it, of which close to 13,000 is either encroached or under litigation. Officials admitted that reclaiming its own land has become a herculean task for the authority due to stiff opposition from locals. "There are various types of encroachments by religious bodies, slums dwellers, etc. We can't adopt a common strategy in all the cases," said an official. The new initiative will help DDA minimise the scale of the problem.

Risha Chitlangia, The Times of India, Delhi/NCR"




Farmhouse owners get relief as DDA eases norms - Times of India

Delhi: Following a protest by farmhouse owners and objections by municipal corporations, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has simplified the provisions for low density residential plots (LDRP) in notified villages.
The decision was taken in DDA's monthly meeting on Wednesday. Though the policy was notified in 2013, the corporations were not able to clear new low density residential area (LDRA) projects or regularise existing farmhouses due to the clause. According to the clause, the minimum setback requirements in case of LDRP was 10 metres on front side abutting the approach road and 5 metres on other three sides. "In case of farmhouses prior to February 7, 2007, the existing buildings were not falling within the prescribed setbacks. So, it has been decided to amend the clause. Now, minimum setback on two sides shall be applicable for regularisation (i.e 10 metres on front side and 5 metres on any other side)," said a senior DDA official.
Sources said this will help thousands of farmhouse owners who have been running from pillar to post to get their property regularized.
In a major shift from its previous stand, the land-owning agency has included areas falling outside demarcated LDRA. "We have redefined LDRP. It now includes existing farmhouses in urban extension, both within and outside LDRA villages, which had come up prior to February 7, 2007. These farmhouses can be regularized as per the policy," said an official.
On South Corporation's advice, DDA has also tightened clauses related to the floor-area ratio, especially for bigger plots. Sources said the town planning department of South Corporation raised the issue after it got proposals from big plot owners for construction of "palatial" houses.
"



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'Remove malba from DDA land' - Times of India

 Delhi: Delhi high court directed DDA to ensure "immediate removal" of construction material dumped on the authority's vacant lands in Dwarka, saying this was a major cause of air pollution in the national capital.

A bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva also directed Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to ensure that people do not dump rubble or 'malba' on its lands at night and suggested putting in place guards or CCTV cameras to curb such practice and identify the guilty.

"It is your land, you take care of it. Post guards or set up CCTV cameras. Do you know that rubble is a major cause of air pollution? Take immediate action to remove rubble and ensure there is no dumping of 'malba' the court directed the DDA."



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10,000 DDA flats to be put up for sale by March; are you ready to buy? | Zee News

10,000 DDA flats to be put up for sale by March; are you ready to buy? | Zee News:


New Delhi: Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will put up nearly 10,000 flats for sale by March, most of them one-bedroom flats, as per a report in the Times of India.
These flats are the ones which were alloted under the 2014 housing scheme but have been surrendered by the allottees because of the size of the apartments.
The 'DDA Housing Scheme 2014', launched on September 1 last year, saw such an overwhelming response that the urban body's website crashed within few hours of its launch.
It totalled about 18 lakh hits in the first few days, prompting authorities to ramp up the system to "handle the exponential rise in online traffic".
The new scheme, offered 25,034 flats - EWS, LIG, MIG, HIG, Janta flats and one-room apartments, ranging in prices from Rs 7 lakh to Rs 1. 2 crore.
Among them, the 22,627 one-bed room apartments were a major draw for the people. However, realising that the size was too small for families, many have rejected the flats.
As per TOI report, owners of more than 9,000 flats have given up their accomodation.

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

DDA sitting on Delhi land worth Rs 1 lakh crore - Times of India

DDA sitting on Delhi land worth Rs 1 lakh crore - Times of India:

NEW ' DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority is sitting on vacant lands worth Rs 1 lakh crore in the capital, the consolidated size of which nearly equals the area of Lutyens' Delhi.


Incredibly, DDA had little idea about the extent of its holdings till the results of an internal survey came in around 10 days ago. It revealed that the authority owned 5,484 acres of undeveloped land, including thousands of square metres in prime locations such as Vasant Kunj and Defence Colony.

If all these plots could be put together in one place, it would yield a 22sq km patch of land — around 85% of the area of Lutyens' Bungalow Zone, which is built on roughly 26sq km.

The results of the survey, for the first time ever, have given DDA a clear picture of its realty assets, some of which the authority did not know about. It is now getting in touch with former MLAs and MPs of these areas to help them decide on how these lands could be developed.

The survey details have been uploaded on the authority's website. It also gives details about thousands of square metres of land, particularly in east and north Delhi, that have been encroached upon. The total area under litigation is around 300 acres.

The information is significant for various reasons. A compiled report on the vacant parcels of land will enable DDA to plan better, For instance 756 acres of public-semi-public land space in various pockets of Rohini means opportunities for amenities such as hospitals, schools, and offices for non-profit organizations in the area.

The huge chunks of land marked for residential use, for instance 54,600 sq m near Dilshad Garden, of which two-thirds is encroached upon, could be freed and used to solve the housing crunch in east Delhi. Around 2,000 acres of land, mostly in north Delhi, which DDA hasn't planned for yet, is a pool whose land-use DDA could decide on a need basis.

The report also provides transparency in DDA's real estate management, which is often subject to charges of corruption. The authority is working towards uploading layout plans of each of it plots.

"This is for the first time in DDA's history that the whole inventory of land, whose worth we estimate to be more than Rs 1 lakh crore, has been compiled and put in the public domain. Technology is being leveraged to ensure its protection and monitoring," said Balvinder Kumar, vice-chairperson, DDA.
He added that uploading details of the land would serve to prevent underhand deals and the possibility of DDA officers colluding with the land mafia.


Kumar said, with this newly acquired information, DDA was looking at auctioning land that has been earmarked for commercial use. "Also we are looking to redefine land uses. The land use was earmarked a long time ago. Based on current needs, we may change industrial land use to residential," he said.


DDA has earlier changed the status of several pockets of land to 'mixed use'. As housing now has a higher priority than before, the authority is looking to tap into its combined land pool to identify sites for group housing societies.


The authority is also working to have all its land parcels geo-tagged and mapped monthly. Officials said they have contacted the National Productivity Council and Geospatial Data Limited [GSDL] to help them with imaging DDA's land.


"We will try to get fortnightly or at least a monthly update of activity on our lands. And as soon as we find traces of encroachment, we will waste no time in acting against it," said Kumar.

Friday, June 10, 2016

DDA takes over 500cr property after 36 years - Times of India

DDA takes over 500cr property after 36 years - Times of India:



New Delhi: Delhi Development Authority (DDA) on Friday took possession of a four-storeyed building at Jhandewalan valued at Rs 500 crore following orders of lieutenant governor Najeeb Jung. The property also houses an income-tax department office.


DDA officials said the decision was taken on a Supreme Court order authorising the land-owning agency to take possession of the property. Constructed over an area of 5,000 square yards, the property has a built-up area of 1.2 lakh sq feet. "We decided to take possession of the building on the orders of Supreme Court and on directions of the LG," said Arun Goel, DDA vice-chairman.

Principal commissioner (land disposal and housing) JP Aggarwal said, "The building currently houses an income tax department office and 24 other small units. The possession of the premises was taken over without any problem."

Officials said the land was given on lease to a private firm in 1948 for construction of a cold storage for a period of 20 years. But the firm violated the lease clause and sold it to another company, which constructed the building. "DDA terminated the lease and it was challenged in court. The matter continued for 36 years. Recently, the SC ruled in our favour," said a DDA official.

The LG has ordered an inquiry into collusion of DDA officials in the case and bring the culprits to book within a week.
The agency, however, has no plans to disturb the existing setup. Sources said the I-T department has agreed to pay rent to DDA. "We will now look into the rent paid by the tenants. We will revise it, if required. There are no plans to disturb the setup of the I-T department as it is a government organisation. The agency will soon decide what to do with the 24 smaller units," said a senior official.