Latest news with #GeneralPoolResidentialAccommodation
Indian Express
3 hours ago
- Business
- Indian Express
Delhi govt takes a leaf out of Centre's book to revamp its housing colonies
Along the lines of the Centre's General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) project, the Delhi government is planning to redevelop its housing colonies on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model, officials said. According to a senior official, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta discussed the matter in a recent meeting with Public Works Department (PWD) officials. Under the GPRA project, existing government residential colonies in Delhi are being redeveloped under the PPP model, primarily to modernise the houses and optimise land use. 'The Delhi government plans to redevelop housing colonies under the PPP model and recover the cost of the project by using the land space for commercial purposes… like building offices and retail spaces, or by selling land parcels to private developers or constructing housing units and selling them…,' said the senior official. 'The matter was taken up in the department's last meeting with the CM… The department has been asked to explore the possibility and appoint a consultant who will study the number of government colonies that can be redeveloped, how much space is available to build multi-storey buildings, and if there is space for commercial activities as well… The consultant will submit a detailed project report,' the official added. Officials said that while the plan is at a nascent stage, the tendering process will start so that a consultant can be appointed. At present, houses are allotted to Delhi government officials at 57 localities, including Daryaganj, Rajpur Road, Alipur Road, Satya Sadan, Shamnath Marg, Mayur Vihar, Commonwealth Games Village, and Vasant Kunj, among others. The allotment is done through the sarkari-awas portal. Officials said that most houses allotted to Delhi government employees — from senior bureaucrats to ministers and the CM — come under the PWD pool and are managed by the department. They added that the key aim is to redevelop old and dilapidated government houses and replace them with modern and sustainable infrastructure, creating self-sustaining urban space. 'Currently, most of these colonies are two- or three-floor towers or buildings… After conducting a feasibility study, a plan will be made for land utilisation so that multi-storey towers, having modern features like rainwater harvesting systems, among others, can be constructed. This will also help the government to meet its housing requirement and help save the cost of repair and maintenance… Further, the waiting period for government staff to get a house will come down,' said the senior official. In 2016, the Centre had approved the redevelopment of seven GPRA colonies in South Delhi — Sarojini Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, Kasturba Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Sriniwaspuri, Mohamm-adpur and Thyagraj Nagar — to meet the housing requirement of central government employees. 'As these are big-ticket projects and cannot be constructed solely through public funds, the government has brought in the PPP model, where it gives contracts to private companies that will construct the houses and use the space available for official or commercial activities to generate revenue,' a senior PWD official said. 'Some land parcels were also sold for commercial purposes so the money could be used to construct the houses in other areas… For instance, while work at Thyagraj Nagar and Mohammadpur has been completed, no space is being used for commercial purposes. At the same time, as of now, the government is exclusively using Nauroji Nagar for commercial activities, where the World Trade Centre is coming up… This will ensure that while project cost is recovered, houses are also constructed,' the official added.
Hindustan Times
23-06-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
Delhi LG exempts 8.9-hectare site from tree curbs for GPRA
Delhi lieutenant governor (LG) VK Saxena has granted a special area exemption under the Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994, allowing a tree officer to take a decision on 856 trees that may fall in the way of a General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) at Kasturba Nagar Phase-II over an area of 8.9 hectares, according to a gazette notification. Delhi LG VK Saxena. (RAJ K RAJ /HT PHOTO) The exemption, granted under Section 29 of the Act in 'public interest', formally allows the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) to seek permission on from the tree officer. To be sure, tree officers can only take a decision on an area of one hectare, in usual circumstances. The exemption, issued via a gazette notification on June 13 but made public on Sunday, read: '… in public interest, (the LG) exempts an area of 8.90 hectares… from the limitation of maximum one hectare area under sub-section (3) of Section 9 of the said Act for construction of General Pool Residential Accommodation at Kasturba Nagar Phase-II, New Delhi under Delhi Preservation of Trees Act (DPTA), 1994.' This is the fourth instance that the provision has been invoked in recent weeks. Last week, it was applied to a 115.88-hectare construction site for the redevelopment of the New Delhi Railway Station. Prior to that, it was applied to two other sites, pertaining to Common Central Secretariat buildings and a flyover in northeast Delhi. While the exemption clears a key procedural hurdle, it does not constitute approval for cutting or transplanting any trees. It merely enables the designated tree officer to examine an application, which had previously been ineligible for consideration because of the site's size. 'This notification... shall not be considered as permission for transplantation/felling of trees,' the Act states. Upon receiving an application, the tree officer—the deputy conservator of forest (south division) in this case—will independently scrutinise the application, comprising due diligence under the DPTA, the Delhi Preservation of Trees Rules, 1996, and compliance with any court directions. 'The tree officer must apply due diligence and aim to minimise the number of trees affected by the project,' the gazette reads. Section 29 of the DPTA gives power to the government to provide exemption, citing public interest. Section 9(3), meanwhile, allows a tree officer to only consider up to one hectare in area for a project. The exemption essentially allows an area of more than one hectare to be considered by a tree officer. The Kasturba Nagar GPRA project is part of the Centre's plan to redevelop seven GPRA colonies across south Delhi. Of these, three are being handled by NBCC, while CPWD is in charge of four—two of them, Mohammadpur and Thyagraj Nagar, have already been completed. The remaining two—Kasturba Nagar and Srinivaspuri—are under construction. HT reported last month how the Delhi Urban Art Commission (DUAC) had, for the second time, rejected the revised proposal for the project after raising concerns over inadequate planning, inefficient land use and poor compliance with its earlier observations. Under Phase 2 of the Kasturba Nagar project, plans are afoot to create over 3,500 housing units in total, an anganwadi, convenience shops, a coaching centre, a banquet hall, a podium and a residential complex comprising 25 towers. In a notification published on June 17, the LG issued an exemption to a 115.88-hectare site for the redevelopment of the New Delhi Railway Station, with 887 trees falling in its way. On June 6, Saxena issued a similar exemption for a 5.037-hectare site at the Common Central Secretariat project, involving 476 trees. A day earlier, he cleared a 2.16-hectare stretch for a flyover at the Nand Nagri–Gagan Cinema junction, where 27 trees are affected. Opposition parties, however, criticised the move. Delhi Congress President Devender Yadav called the decision an 'environmental disaster'. 'This is a double blow to both the environment and social justice. The soul of Delhi resides in its slums, and its breath comes from its trees, and if both are destroyed, Delhi will face an existential crisis,' Yadav said. The BJP did not respond to a request for comment.
Mint
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Mint
Govt reserves 4% central housing quota for employees with disabilities
The Centre has introduced a 4% reservation in the allotment of General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) for its employees with benchmark disabilities. The new policy, announced by the ministry of housing and urban affairs, aims to ensure greater accessibility and equal opportunity in government housing. The directive, issued under the provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, 2016, states that all central government employees with benchmark disabilities—defined in Section 34 of the Act—will be eligible for priority allotment of GPRA, according to a statement. These include individuals with conditions such as blindness, low vision, hearing impairments, locomotor disabilities, cerebral palsy, leprosy cured, dwarfism, acid attack injuries, and muscular dystrophy. The central government provides about 109,474 residential units under the GPRA scheme across 347 colonies in 61 cities throughout India, shows government data. So, under the new policy, about 4,379 government residential units across the country will be reserved for eligible government employees with benchmark disabilities. Under the revised policy, eligible employees will receive priority in both initial allotments and requests for change of accommodation over the general unified waiting list, the statement said. The benchmark disability is determined as per Section 2(r) of the RPWD Act, which defines a person with at least 40% of a specified disability, either measurable or otherwise, certified by the competent authority. Describing the initiative as a landmark step towards inclusive governance, Minister of housing and urban affairs Manohar Lala Khattar said the measure reflects the government's commitment to equal opportunity for all, aligning with the broader vision of sabka saath, sabka vikas. The decision is also part of the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan, which seeks to build a more accessible and barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities. 'The allotments will be processed through the government's automated system of allotment (ASA), and eligible applicants must place their bids every month on the eSampada website under the newly introduced Persons with Disabilities (PwD) category,' said Ravi Arora, joint secretary, housing ministry. 'A Unique Disability ID (UDID) card, issued by the government, will serve as valid proof of eligibility. Applicants are required to upload the UDID card to their profile on the eSampada portal, which will be verified by their respective ministries or departments before the application is forwarded to the Directorate of Estates,' said Arora.
Indian Express
22-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Govt officials with disabilities to get 4% quota in housing pool
The Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry on Thursday decided to extend a 4% reservation for persons with disabilities (PwD) in the General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA), which will cover houses up to Type 5, benefiting officials from Assistant Section Officer (ASO) level to Director rank, it is learnt. The Directorate of Estates under the Ministry issued an office memorandum on Thursday applying the reservation. 'In order to promote the rights of People with Disabilities, laid down in the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWD), 2016 the Directorate of Estates, Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs has decided to adopt the reservation of 4% for the allotment of GPRA to eligible Government servants,' it said. Those Central government servants who have benchmark disabilities, as laid down in the RPWD Act, will be given priority for allotment of GPRA every month, it said. In order to be considered for accommodation, all government servants can participate in the monthly online bidding process carried out by the Directorate of Estates. 'The eligible PwD applicants would be given priority over the unified waiting list for both initial allotment/change of GPRA. The Unique Disability ID (UDID) card issued by the Government will be a valid document for proof of disability,' the OM said. According to government sources, when a government servant joins as an ASO, it takes about 15 years to be allotted a home due to the shortage of housing. As of now, the waiting period for some categories is up to 18 years, an official said. Some government servants who have disabilities are forced to stay in hostels and away from their families due to the lack of housing, the official said. Overall, the Directorate of Estates manages 1.02 lakh GPRA units across 355 locations in 61 cities.
Hindustan Times
12-05-2025
- General
- Hindustan Times
CRRI suggests fixes for 60 Lutyens' Delhi roads
At least 61 out of 79 avenue roads in Lutyens' Delhi area have been found to be in need for maintenance and rehabilitation, according to a survey report by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI). The survey — carried out in January and February this year — included 79 avenue roads across five divisions in New Delhi. Issues such as cracks, distressed services, and weathering were found in the survey and the report has recommended milling and overlaying in case 60 crucial roads, such as outer circle of Connaught Place, Sansad Marg, Janpath, KG Marg, and Lodhi Estate, among others. 'CRRI has suggested several measures including correction of slope to prevent waterlogging, surface removal of road from 40-50mm up to 150-160mm in case of heavily damaged surface. We will be preparing project reports and issue tenders based on these findings. Roads with higher level of damage will be prioritised,' a senior official of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) said. According to the proposal cleared by the council in August 2024, NDMC will spend ₹4.72 crore on the CRRI road study and improvement project. This does not include the cost of repairing the roads. In September, the council signed an agreement with CRRI for studying and improving the road infrastructure in New Delhi. Under the agreement, the CRRI is to help the civic body in structural evaluation of its roads, supervise the construction quality, and help in training of engineers and staff members and engineering divisions, an official said. According to the CRRI report, also seen by HT, eight roads were surveyed under the Connaught Place division, all of which have been found in need for rehabilitation measures. The poorest condition was found at Panchkuiyan road extension which was found to have longitudinal cracks, so the report recommended 90-100mm milling and 90mm overlaying. 'Road milling or asphalt milling is a process used in road construction to remove a layer of existing asphalt pavement. This process is essential for preparing the road surface for new asphalt paving. The overall level of the road does not increase at the end of the process,' an official explained. At Sansad Marg, the road found to be distressed near CP and cracks were observed on Janpath road, the report said. Notably, the survey covers the CP, R1, R2, R4 and R5 divisions. The R3 division include Netaji Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, and A to J Avenue in Netaji Nagar Colony. Many of these areas are undergoing redevelopment under General Pool Residential Accommodation (GPRA) projects. In CP's outer circle, CRRI found cracks at approaches and muddle lanes while the KG Marg has 'hungry surface' with micro cracks. Hungry surface is referred to a condition with loss of aggregates from the surface or the appearance of fine cracks. In the R1 division, 18 NDMC roads were assessed and only four — Pandara Road, Purana Quila Road, Jai Singh Road and Bhagwan Das Road — were found to be in good condition and no intervention is required on them. The Janpath road from CP to Dr RP Road was found to be heavily cracked with slight depressions. 'Dr RP Road is heavily distressed due to NBCC constructions. Concrete deposits were also found and drainage needs to be improved,' the report stated. Similarly, in the R2 division, the Golf Link Colony road was found to be heavily ravelled due to weathering with potholes and undulated surface. The CRRI has recommended that the road level has to be reduced due to drainage issues. In the R4 division, 28 roads were surveyed and the maximum damage was found at Bordoloi Road. Further, patches and long cracks were found on the Sardar Patel Marg and 50-60mm milling has been recommended. Under the R5 division, three out of four roads including Mandir Marg, Kali Bari Marg and Pandit Pant Marg were found to be in need for rehabilitation while only the Talkatora road is in good condition. An NDMC official said that most of the roads in New Delhi have completed a lifespan of five years but the extent of cracks varies, depending on location, usage, heavy vehicle movement and local conditions like drainage issues.
