With municipal polls slated for April 23, joint forums of cooperative group housing societies have yet again brought the question of redevelopment of societies to the fore.
With Delhi municipal polls on the anvil, the joint forum of IP Extension Cooperative Group Housing Societies (CGHS) has once again raised the issue of redevelopment of societies.
The redevelopment plan was notified by the city’s land-owning agency, Delhi Development Authority, in 2007 under the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. Nearly 10 years have passed since the plan was notified, but nothing has been done so far.
The redevelopment, if sanctioned by MCD, would allow societies to increase floors, rework their basic structure and carry out other changes for improvement.
This is not the first time an umbrella body of CGHS — or any individual housing society — has tried to raise the subject for discussion. Be it IP Extension joint forum or Vasundhara Enclave CGHS or the joint forum of Mayur Vihar CGHS, the issue of redevelopment has always been accorded priority.
Suresh Bindal, president of IP Extension joint forum, in his letter to political parties wrote: “Consideration and approval of building plans are under the jurisdiction of MCD, and it is one of their top responsibilities to provide planned growth to Delhi.”
Bindal alleged, “There's huge corruption involved in the approval of building plans by highly paid MCD officers. The redevelopment plan was not implemented because of the unholy nexus of MCD officials, builders and elected municipal councillors. They are afraid that once redevelopment starts, the societies will have more power.”
So here’s what the residents want to know before they cast their votes on April 23 — “Who will break this nexus?”
