DDA monopoly on housing ends, private players in: Cabinet

New Delhi, Feb 8 (UNI) The Centre has thrown open housing development in Delhi to builders and other private players, ending decades of monopoly by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), in a bid to increase the availablity of houses and bring down the real estate prices that have gone up over four-fold in the past three years.

''The move is expected to moderate the cost of housing in the city,'' Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy told reporters today.

Under the Delhi Master Plan 2021, builders and other enterpreneurs would be given land through a transparent bidding process for construction of high-rise housing complexes under an ''insitu'' (in situation) scheme.

Each building under such housing schemes would have small residential units for economically weaker sections and slum dwellers, Mr Reddy said.

''This will meet the larger societal objective... There should be no exclusivity for the affluent,'' Mr Reddy said.

Further, farm lands would be allowed to be developed for housing purposes, provided 15 per cent of the floor area (FAR) for the weaker sections. ''It is a win-win proposition,'' the Minister said.

So far, the private sector could not participate in the development of housing in Delhi. Through these steps, ''we are providing scope for private sector participation,'' he said.

Further, house owners in the just regularised 1,500 unauthorised colonies and in similar areas approved by the Indira Gandhi government would be allowed to go for multi-storeyed houses ''without any height restrictions,'' provided the ground coverage was limited to 33 per cent.

At the same time, the government had planned to put in place ''very quickly'' an independent regulatory authority which would serve as a ''model'' for other cities, the Minister said.

The authority would ensure that the anticipated phenomenal growth in the housing sector was orderly, he said.

UNI