New Delhi: A new commercial centre and additional housing units, both for sale and for government employees, are likely to be developed as part of the Centre’s efforts to monetise nearly 60 acres of prime land in Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar to recover the cost of redevelopment of seven General Pool Residential Accommodation (7GPRA) colonies, ThePrint has learnt.
The new commercial centre, spread over 14 acres, is proposed to come up in front of the newly constructed World Trade Centre (WTC) in Nauroji Nagar (which is a part of the 7GPRA project), according to sources in the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA).
Sources said the sale of space at the proposed commercial centre is likely to generate revenue of Rs 6,000 crore to Rs 7,000 crore.
In 2016, the Modi government had approved the redevelopment of 7GPRA government colonies in south Delhi—Sarojini Nagar, Nauroji Nagar, Kasturba Nagar, Netaji Nagar, Srinivaspuri, Mohammadpur, and Thyagraj Nagar—to meet the housing requirement of central government employees.
The Rs 35,000-crore 7GPRA project is being implemented on a self-finance basis, wherein the cost of construction will be recovered from the sale of commercial components.
According to the initial plan, the cost of the project was to be recovered from the sale of space at WTC and some retail space in Sarojini Nagar.
The government now plans to construct another commercial centre along with new housing units for sale to recover the cost of the project, which has risen due to delay in its completion in the wake of the Covid pandemic as well as inclusion of new components such as a 14-km elevated corridor to decongest the nearby areas.
Last year, the housing ministry had sent a revised proposal for the 7GPRA project to the Public Investment Board on the directions of the Department of Expenditure under the Union finance ministry, as several changes were made in its original plan which, along with other factors, led to an increase in project cost, ministry officials said.
ThePrint has reached out to the housing ministry via WhatsApp and email with queries about the new monetisation plan. This report will be updated when a response is received.
Decision on housing units & elevated corridor pending
There are five land parcels, measuring 64 acres, in Sarojini Nagar and neighbouring Pilanji village where the government plans to construct new housing units, both for sale and for government employees, along with the new commercial centre.
The new commercial centre, sources said, will be smaller than the existing one in Nauroji Nagar, which is spread over 25 acres.
According to the sources, the ministry is yet to decide on the type of housing units to be constructed for sale.
“There is a plan for constructing service apartments in Sarojini Nagar for sale. But a decision on whether to construct high-end housing or not in place of service apartments is yet to be taken,” said an official.
The housing ministry will have to take approval from the Union Cabinet if it plans to construct high-end housing in place of service apartments in Sarojini Nagar, it is learnt.
Another project which has been hanging fire for nearly three years is of a 14-km elevated corridor to decongest the newly developed areas.
The Central Public Works Department (CPWD), the government’s construction arm, was tasked with its construction in 2021, after the corridor alignment was approved by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre.
A senior CPWD official told ThePrint that “no decision has been taken regarding its construction”.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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