Delhi: Rental housing in focus with eye on locations close to metro stations

NEW DELHI: Synonymous with flats ranging from those for higher income groups to one-room Janta flats, Delhi Development Authority (DDA) will now be focussing on ‘rental housing’ for the first time, as part of its Master Plan for Delhi (MPD) 2041. The draft MPD was preliminary approved in the authority’s meeting chaired by LG Anil Baijal on Tuesday.

According to a statement from DDA, the draft MPD-2041 will focus on non-ownership or rental and small format housing. The MPD-2041 also aims at incentivising new formats like serviced apartments, condominiums, hostels, student housing, worker housing, etc. The plan is to have such small format housing particularly close to mass transit corridors like the Delhi Metro.

The proposal is modelled on the affordable rental housing complexes (ARHCs), initiated by the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs. The ARHCs are aimed at providing ease of living to urban migrants and the poor in different sectors, according to the ministry’s website.

“The focus on non-ownership or rental housing is aligned with the national policy,” said DDA’s vice-chairman Anurag Jain, adding this proposal would help in housing for all. He said that many other countries have experimented with rental housing earlier.

AK Jain, former commissioner (planning), DDA said that the proposal was in line with Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana – Urban, which already has a rental housing portal. “This came up last year and aims at the migrant workforce, which might also include those who visit the capital for work for a few months in a year and then go back to their native places,” he said.

“DDA should make the best use of land and go for dense development but also ensure that these buildings are green and low on carbon emission and energy use, which is good for climate change,” he said, adding that it is also important to ensure these dwelling units are cheaper to build and affordable for users.

According to sources, while the rental housing scheme would come into effect when the MPD-2041 is finally notified by the ministry, DDA would be simultaneously working on a mechanism on how to implement the scheme.