NEW DELHI: Residents of Signature View Apartments in Mukherjee Nagar have begun moving out after the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) rolled out a rent assistance scheme for those vacating the unsafe housing complex. The move comes months after the Delhi High Court ordered the demolition of the apartments, calling their condition life-threatening.
Under the scheme, families from three-bedroom flats are being given Rs 50,000 per month, while those in two-bedroom units are receiving Rs 38,000, according to the Resident Welfare Association (RWA).
RWA president Amrendra Rakesh Singh said nearly 200 families had shifted out by the end of August, and another 110 are expected to leave before the October 1 deadline fixed by the court.
The high-rise apartments, once considered a premium residential project of the DDA, were declared “structurally unsafe” following an audit conducted by IIT Delhi. The inspection found that the buildings had deteriorated rapidly and posed a severe risk to occupants. Despite previous repair work, the audit concluded that the structures could not be salvaged due to poor construction quality.
Following the court’s directive, the DDA floated a tender in March this year to finalise an agency for the demolition.
The selected agency will be tasked with dismantling the towers and transporting debris to an MCD-approved dumping site. Standard operating procedures were also issued to aid residents and the RWA in finalising a vacating schedule.
Meanwhile, several residents have approached the Municipal Corporation of Delhi seeking an extension of the deadline, citing difficulties in finding alternate housing on short notice. No official response has yet been issued by the DDA on this request.