Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inspecting EWS flats in Bhalswa.
| Photo Credit: SUSHIL KUMAR VERMA
The deteriorating and deserted red-and-white five-storey buildings housing 7,400 flats for the Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) in Bhalswa, north Delhi, may soon be transformed into a modern residential complex, with the Rekha Gupta-led government planning their redevelopment.
The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB), which manages the flats, has initiated the tender process for repairs.
“The flats require repairs to make them habitable again. We presented a few proposals during our meeting with the Chief Minister. We are revising the proposals as per the suggestions of the board members and aiming to start the tender process within six months for all the sites,” said a senior DUSIB official.
Ms. Gupta visited the Bhalswa flats on December 9 and called the ongoing vacancy a “grave injustice to poor families”. She said the government will turn the site into a modern residential complex.
The DUSIB is in charge of 18,000 low-cost EWS flats across Dwarka, Sultanpuri, Savda Ghevra, and Bhalswa under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM). It aimed at providing affordable housing to jhuggi-jhopri (JJ) dwellers. However, the flats remain empty, despite officials claiming that hundreds of eligible beneficiary families have already been identified.
State of despair
Official data accessed by The Hindu show that only 2,122 flats have been allotted so far, with the remaining 15,902 lying empty and in poor condition.
Inspections uncovered a litany of woes: faulty wiring, water seepage, shattered doors, and missing fixtures. Despite sporadic repairs, the flats continued to deteriorate, a former board member said.
Ms. Gupta chaired the first DUSIB board meeting on November 21, during which the condition of the Bhalswa flats was discussed, along with plans to redevelop roads, parks, sewers, and pathways. The agenda was postponed to the next meeting, as the plan for the construction of schools, health facilities, community halls, parking spaces, and EV-charging stations is awaited.
A similar story unfolds in Sultanpuri and Dwarka Sector 16, where EWS flats also await much-needed repairs and care.
“The flats cannot be allotted in isolation. Supporting facilities are critical for rehabilitation to work,” a senior DUSIB official said.
Cause of delay
At least 18,000 slum dwellers living within 5 km of the DUSIB flats in various locations were found eligible. “Allotment letters were sent, and beneficiaries were asked to pay about ₹1.12 lakh per flat, plus ₹30,000 as a one-time maintenance charge,” a former official said. Nearly 10,000 beneficiaries paid, but they are still waiting for their allotments.
The Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation built the flats and handed them over to the DUSIB in 2016 for allotment under the Delhi Slum Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015. The Delhi government renamed it Mukhyamantri Awaas Yojana (MMAY) in 2019.
A former DUSIB board member said that under MMAY, a land survey began in 2019 to find eligible beneficiaries. However, it faced problems when the survey on land owned by the Delhi Development Authority, the Centre, and other agencies was stopped, “at the request of the DDA”. The Centre was pushing for the allocation under the Affordable Rental Housing Complex scheme post-COVID-19. The allocation remained stalled even after the Delhi government agreed to sign an MoU in 2022.
Published – December 29, 2025 01:48 am IST
