The Hindu : New Delhi News : Commonwealth Games Village to have 1,160 flats

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Dec 02, 2007
ePaper

New Delhi

New Delhi

Commonwealth Games Village to have 1,160 flats

Staff Reporter

Will be built under public-private partnership, DDA tells court

Two-thirds of the flats would be given to developers for residential complex
No garbage would be disposed of in the Yamuna riverbed:DDA

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Development Authority(DDA) has informed the Delhi High Court that it will build a residential complex of 1,160 flats in the Commonwealth Games Village here to accommodate athletes coming over to participate in the event in 2010.

The Games Village is being built on the Yamuna riverbed near the mammoth Akshardham Temple in East Delhi.

The DDA in an affidavit filed before the Court said the Games Village would be built under the public-private partnership programme and two-thirds of the flats would be given to the developers who would build the residential complex after the event.

The rest of the flats would be at DDA’s disposal, the affidavit said, adding that the disposal policy was yet to be decided. The DDA informed Justice Gita Mittal in reply to public interest litigation by social activist Vinod Jain seeking a direction to the Centre not to allow development of such projects on the riverbed and floodplain of the Yamuna that hinder groundwater recharge and environment regeneration.

Mr. Jain submitted that the DDA had planned several projects in the new Master Plan for Delhi-2021 like fly-ash brick plants, gas bottling plants and residential complexes that would hamper water recharge in the river.

He also sought notification of the draft River Regulation Zones prepared by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forest in 2002.

The DDA further submitted that as many 853 flats were built in the Asiad Village in South Delhi to accommodate 5,000 athletes who had come over to participate in the Asian Games in 1982. After the event, 441 of the total flats were allotted to public sector undertakings, 142 were disposed of through auction, 151 were allotted to the Directorate of Estate for General Pool accommodations, 12 were kept to accommodate DDA staff, 35 were allotted to Non-Resident Indians and 12 were allotted to people belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, the affidavit said.

The DDA assured the Court that no garbage would be disposed of in the Yamuna riverbed and solid wastes would be collected in garbage bins located in the complex to be carried later to authorised dumping grounds.

When the Court asked for the lay-out plan of the Games Village, the DDA said it would submit a copy to it this coming Monday, the next date of hearing.

The DDA also expressed its inability to change the site of the Games Village saying not enough time was left now for locating a new one.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi