Faridabad: Doubts on habitability of flats slow rehabilitation of Khori oustees’

Bijendra Ahlawat

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Faridabad, December 22

The rehabilitation process of Khori Colony oustees, Surajkund, is still hanging in balance due to various factors, including the habitable quality of EWS flats allotted to them. The rehabilitation had been ordered by the Supreme Court after the demolition of around 9,500 houses that had come up illegally on the forest land in Surajkund area in June 2021.

The process is likely to stretch further in view of the issue of habitability, according to sources. It is likely to resume after the submission of the inspection report of the EWS flats at Dabua Colony, which will be undertaken by the Quality Council of India (QCI) under the supervision of IIT-Delhi, it is reported. The IIT had been handed over the inspection of the flats by the apex court earlier this year in response to a petition by some affected persons. Since around 1,000 flats have been allotted officially, 300-odd applicants are seeking possession or occupation, as per officials of the Municipal Corporation Faridabad (MCF).

While around 3,900 applications were rejected for not meeting the standard criteria, 1,072 applicants were allotted flats under the scheme launched two years ago. BS Dhillon, a senior MCF official, said while the list of eligible persons had been uploaded on the portal of the Urban Local Bodies, the civic body is yet to decide the cancellation of the allotment to around 325 persons, who failed to respond. The criteria include production of registered voter ID, a Parivar Pehchan Patra or proof of DHBVN connection prior to demolition. “None of the applicants have taken the possession legally so far, though 180 families have been residing in the flats,” says Nitin Kadian, Executive Engineer, MCF. He said 350 flats allotted in Dabua Colony over the past one year had been locked by the applicants.

“While IIT-Delhi had been appointed by the Supreme Court to carry out an inspection of the flats, the work is likely to be done by a team of the QCI on behalf of the IIT soon,” said Birender Kardam, Chief Engineer, MCF.