DDA to give 90 pc of CWG flats to bureaucrats

 

New Delhi: The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) caught up in controversy again. Sources say the agency is planning to give away 90 per cent of the CWG flats to the same bureaucrats who could have been involved in corruption. If the Delhi Development Authority has its way, then the babus of Delhi will be getting a lion's share of the luxury apartments in the Games Village, with only 10 per cent of the total flats in DDA's possession left for the public. At present, the DDA owns over 700 flats out of the total of 1,168 flats built to house Commonwealth Games delegates at the Village. According to officials, the DDA in a revised proposal is planning to auction 100 flats in the Games Village to the public. This will be done to determine the market price of the apartments.

Once a price is fixed, the remaining flats would then be sold to the Delhi government at the same price. This will then be distributed to the MPs and bureaucrats as government accommodation- a direct contrast to the original plan of auctioning all the Games Village flats to the public. But Delhi's Urban Development Minister said the babus in the city need these apartments more than the aam aadmi.

"There is a shortage of accommodation for the ministers and the senior officers. We require more houses," said Urban Development Minister of Delhi AK Walia.

Earlier this month, the DDA had clarified that it will not allot the Games flats to bureaucrats or ministers. The statement came following news reports that the DDA had sent a proposal to the Ministry of Urban Development to allow these flats to be allotted to government agencies like the Delhi Police, Public Sector Units, MPs, CVC and CAG's office. But it looks like the DDA has changed its mind.

"I have to check with the DDA which is the concerned agency," said Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy.

The DDA's share in the Village had originally been one-third of the total flats, around 390. But after the financial bailout to Emaar-MGF, the number of flats in the land agency's kitty increased considerably.

With most of the apartments owned by Emaar MGF already sold out, the public now has little choice but to battle it out for a hundred odd flats in auction.

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