New Delhi, Jul 16 (PTI) Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood on Thursday said the city government is expediting the upgradation and allotment of more than 7,400 Economically Weaker Section (EWS) flats at Bhalswa, stressing that the houses are being expanded to provide better living conditions for beneficiaries.
Sood, who inspected the ongoing repair and expansion work at the housing project, said the existing flats are being redesigned by increasing their carpet area by around four to five square metres to bring them closer to the standards of houses built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
He said the project comprises more than 7,400 EWS houses and the allotment process will begin in phases after the upgradation work is completed.
Sood said a joint inspection of the project with Chief Minister Rekha Gupta will be conducted before the allotment process.
The government will then seek final guidance from Union Home Minister Amit Shah and senior leaders before handing over the flats to the beneficiaries, he added.
He said the EWS housing scheme was launched in 2021 and ended in 2022 without significant progress on allotment of the flats.
The minister said the current government is working to complete the project and hand over the upgraded flats to eligible beneficiaries in phases.
According to Sood, the government has decided to retain the existing structures and upgrade them instead of rebuilding them, ensuring better utilisation of public funds.
The expansion work includes increasing the usable space inside the flats and carrying out repairs to make them suitable for occupation.
The minister said he had first visited the Bhalswa project in February and directed officials to increase the carpet area of the flats to provide “dignified housing” to economically weaker families. PTI SHB PRK
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