CM vows to hand over 7,400 EWS flats in Bhalswato slum dwellers

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday said that the long-vacant 7,400 Economically Weaker Section (EWS) flats in north-west Delhi’s Bhalswa will soon be allotted to eligible slum-dwelling families, terming the years-long delay a “grave injustice to poor families”.

Ms. Gupta reviewed the condition of the flats, which have remained unoccupied since 2016. The units are part of a wider batch of 52,584 flats built under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) by the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC). They were handed over to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) in 2016 for allotment under the Delhi Slum Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy 2015, later renamed Mukhyamantri Awaas Yojana in 2019.

The CM directed officials to expedite all pending work so the flats can be made ready for immediate allotment. She also announced plans to redevelop the Bhalswa complex into a modern residential zone with commercial areas, e-rickshaw charging points, parking facilities, healthcare services, anganwadi centres and landscaped parks. “We are creating a housing model that was once only a dream for lakhs of poor families. This dream will be realised during our government’s tenure,” she said.  She criticised previous governments for leaving the structures idle for nearly a decade. “They failed to allot even a single unit. Thousands of families could have been living with dignity and comfort, but instead, these flats deteriorated and materials disappeared from inside,” she said.

Prolonged delay

In 2019, DUSIB surveyed slum clusters within a 5-km radius and identified at least 18,000 eligible families. All were issued allotment letters and asked to pay ₹1,12,000 plus ₹30,000 as a one-time maintenance charge. For Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe (SC/ST) families, the cost was reduced to ₹1,000, with only maintenance payable. Various land-owning agencies, including the Delhi government, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), were required to pay for flats constructed on their land.

However, surveys on central government and DDA land were halted after the DDA requested a pause. A former DUSIB board member said rehabilitation at Bhalswa stalled because the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) withheld permission, insisting that an MoU between the Centre and the Delhi government be signed before relocation. The Centre wanted the flats used under the Affordable Rental Housing Complex (ARHC) scheme launched in 2020, leading to further delays. Even after Delhi agreed to sign the MoU in 2022, the process did not move, he said.

Around 10,000 beneficiaries paid the required amount but never received allotments. Theft and structural damage followed, prompting DUSIB to carry out repairs and deploy guards. With the current government’s renewed push, the project is being revived, and families may finally receive the homes promised to them, the former board member said.