NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is preparing to initiate rent payments for residents of Signature View Apartments, many of whom have left their units after they were deemed structurally unsafe.
Amrendra Singh Rakesh, president of the apartment’s Resident Welfare Association (RWA), stated on Tuesday: “We have received the rent agreement set to be signed between the flat owners and the DDA. The authority will provide rent payments from January to July this year, and continue until demolition and reconstruction are completed.”
In a prior high-level meeting led by Lt Governor VK Saxena, the DDA confirmed that rent assistance will be provided to flat owners until they are able to move back into their reconstructed homes. However, the DDA has not issued a public statement regarding this arrangement.
The agreement stipulates, “From 1/1/2025, or the date the property is vacated, until the reconstructed units are returned to the owners, the authority will provide a monthly facilitation payment.”
Located in North Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar area, this housing complex was built between 2007 and 2009 and assigned under a DDA scheme by 2011-12. Over time, the buildings have suffered from significant structural damage.
The complex has around 336 high-income group (HIG) and middle-income group (MIG) flats, which have developed serious issues, such as extensive cracks in walls and ceilings, raising critical safety concerns. A structural assessment conducted by IIT-Delhi in 2022 deemed the complex “structurally unsafe.”
In response to resident concerns in 2023, Saxena directed the DDA to undertake a complete redevelopment of the apartment complex to facilitate resident rehabilitation.
According to the agreement, the DDA will compensate HIG flat owners with Rs 50,000 and MIG owners with Rs 38,000. So far, 135 owners have vacated their flats and will receive payment first, Rakesh added.
Last December, the Delhi High Court instructed the DDA to ensure the flats were vacated within three months and that rent assistance was provided without delay. In March, the land-owning agency issued a tender for the demolition of the apartments.
