3500 Games flats up for grabs by year-end

For a city severely short on housing units, there's good news by the year-end. Around 3,500 flats being built in Vasant Kunj and Jasola for the Commonwealth Games are close to completion and will be in the market later this year. This is in addition to the existing stock of 15,000 flats to be ready in 2010, officials said.

``The flats are going to be part of the stock that will be disposed of by the DDA, though the mode of disposal hasn't been decided yet,'' said DDA spokesperson Neemo Dhar. Officials said the flats, which fall under various categories including LIG, MIG and HIG, are expected to be ready by March-April this year. These flats, earmarked for the Commonwealth Games, will yield more than 5,000 rooms for accommodation of sports delegates and officials during the Games. Furnished by Indian Tourism
Development Corporation (ITDC), the flats come with modern fittings and facilities, including a common dining area and recreational space, in keeping with the needs of the visitors. DDA officials, however, said the agency hadn't decided if the flats would thereafter be sold with the renovated fittings.

According to DDA officials, more than 15,000 flats are going to be ready this year and could well be the biggest housing scheme to come from the DDA if the flats are all put in the market in toto. However, officials admitted that chances of that happening were small, as the 3,500 flats that are coming up in Vasant Kunj and Jasola would only be available after the Commonwealth Games in October this year.

``The flats may be sold as part of a separate scheme, as these would be available much later whereas the Authority is hoping to launch a housing scheme earlier than that,'' added a senior DDA official.

The agency also has plans to build 42,000 flats over the next four years. For this year though, it plans to complete 15,000 flats, with 5,000 to be commissioned and built by March. In fact, in this year's budget, the DDA has set aside Rs 1470 crore towards building residential units.