The Allottees of DDA Housing Scheme 1981 are still waiting for their possession of plots of land in Rohini.
According to the source, the Supreme Court has made a decision in favor of these allottees on Tuesday. The court has issued an ultimatum to the vice-chairman Balvinder Kumar of Delhi Development Authority (DDA), to complete the allotment process by July 31, 2016, or face stern action.
According to the statement of Justice J.S Khehar, this is a fraud being committed on the people. Not giving developed plots is a further fraud. The residential scheme was of 1981 and we are now in 2015. We are giving you time till July 31, 2016. If you don’t complete allotment of fully-developed plots till then, you are in solid trouble. I repeat you are in solid trouble. DDA officials will be going to jail. Please do not take court orders lightly.
By this decision of court, the 11,000 allottees in sectors 28, 29, 30 and 34 will get an immediate relief and in favor of these allottees, the court said “fully developed land with water connection, road and sewerage should be handed over by April 10, 2015.” The court has also asked the DDA and Tata Power Delhi Distribution Ltd to make arrangements for temporary power connection to these areas by June 30, 2016. Permanent connections will be provided after that, as and when requested. The court has also said that the development of remaining 14,000 plots in sectors 35, 36 and 37 should be completed by July 21, 2016. Electricity and water connections have to be provided in these sectors by June 31, 2016 – a month before allotment.
By pointing the Balvinder Kumar the Justice Khehar said that it is the hard-earned money of the public. You shall not sit over it. If they have invested something, some benefits should flow out of it. And remember please do not give undeveloped plots. If there is some hindrance, we shall assist you. Call in the Delhi government authorities and the police. If the Transco (state transmission utility) is not cooperating in giving power, we shall direct them. Do not cite any excuse. Just give them the plots.
Rates Controversy
One of the big issue in this matter is pricing of plots. The applicants who are suffering from an allotment issue are also facing another obstacle of pricing because the court refused to interfere in the pricing of plots. The applicants, led by petitioner in the case Rahul Gupta, had argued that they are being asked to pay the rates applicable today – that is Rs 20,350/sq-metre – and not the Rs 200/sq-metre they were offered in 1981.
“We will not go into the rates, if it is higher, or compensation or the delay. Go to the appropriate court or forums or authorities and say it is a deficiency of service. Seek remedy somewhere else like the consumer courts,” the court told Gupta’s lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
These families were registrants for middle-income, low income and janta (poor) category plots of the Rohini Residential Scheme 1981.
The allottees of DDA Scheme 1981 had moved the apex court after the DDA failed to honour repeated directions since 2009 of the Delhi High Court to allot the plots.
According to the source, the DDA had announced the sale of 1,17000 plots for which only 84,000 applicants got in. Of total applicants, 25,000 are still awaiting allotments even today.
In October 2009, the Delhi High Court even restrained the DDA from auctioning any plot of land in Rohini till it allotted plots to these applicants.
Bhushan told the Bench that while the DDA repeatedly cited paucity of land as the reason, it gave huge plot of land to builders and cooperative housing societies.
On March 14, 2012 the High Court told the DDA to complete the possession process in three months. But through a Right To Information application, Gupta learnt that infrastructure like sewerage, connections for water supply, electricity, roads and parks were not being provided in the plots demarcated by the DDA.