NEW DELHI: Residents of Signature View Apartments in North Delhi who have yet to vacate the complex designated for demolition recently submitted a request to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, seeking additional time to leave the premises.
The residents’ welfare association for Mukherjee Nagar stated that the occupants were given a deadline of August 10-20 for the disconnection of civic services. Due to challenges in securing alternative rental accommodations, RWA members have requested an extension until October 1 to vacate.
In their letter to the deputy commissioner of MCD’s Civil Lines zone, the RWA noted, “In our various communications, the most recent being on April 24, we requested 60 days to vacate the flats. The Delhi Development Authority agreed, and in its SOP issued on May 1, specified this timeframe for vacating the units. Furthermore, DDA’s agenda proposal recorded a vacation date of September 30.”
Amarendra Kumar Rakesh, president of the RWA, expressed that residents are feeling distressed and overwhelmed by the sudden directive from the MCD to public utility providers (Tata Power, Delhi Jal Board, Indraprastha Gas, etc.) to issue disconnection notices. “We have asked for these actions to be postponed until the beginning of October, allowing us to complete the vacating process with dignity,” he stated.
RWA members emphasized that this delay would assist residents in finding suitable housing. One member remarked, “We’re fully committed to compliance and seek support to facilitate a smooth transition.”
Residents pointed out that the DDA began issuing compensatory rent from August 6 to 56 occupants who vacated before the December 2024 court order. Due to a shortage of manpower, it seemingly is no longer processing documents from other occupants for lease agreements. “DDA needs time to take over 140 of the 336 vacant flats,” claimed Gaurav Pandey, RWA secretary.
On August 7, a group of residents approached the high court regarding this matter. The court ordered the MCD and DDA to refrain from taking coercive actions against nine flat owners until August 25. It specified that while owners/occupants could continue residing there at their own risk, any incidents occurring during this period would be the owner’s responsibility, not that of the DDA, MCD, or any governmental agency.
The complex, featuring ten towers with ten stories and two towers with six stories, was constructed between 2007 and 2010 and allocated to residents in 2011-2012. However, residents became increasingly concerned about the buildings’ structural integrity. Following a structural audit by IIT-Delhi in 2021-22, the conclusion was made that immediate “vacating and dismantling” of the buildings was necessary.
