New Delhi: Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has initiated the process for redevelopment of jhuggi-jhopri (JJ) clusters in Seelampur, Sultanpuri and Lajpat Nagar through the public-private partnership (PPP) mode.The slum rehabilitation agency has invited expressions of interest for the appointment of a transaction adviser who will conduct feasibility studies, obtain regulatory clearances and assist in the selection of a private developer for the projects.The proposed redevelopment aims to rehabilitate slum dwellers at their existing locations while allowing productive use of land through private-sector participation. Officials said the model seeks to improve living conditions for residents while generating revenue through development of a portion of the land.“The transaction adviser will assess the feasibility of redevelopment at all three locations, taking into account land values, surrounding infrastructure, connectivity, prevailing property prices and development potential,” an official said.The study will also examine provisions of Master Plan for Delhi, zonal plans, building bye-laws, land-use restrictions and permissible floor area ratio (FAR). Based on these, conceptual layouts and preliminary cost estimates will be prepared, covering housing units, built-up area, parking, utilities and other facilities.Officials said the exercise would recommend the mix of residential and commercial development needed to balance construction costs, market demand and financial viability. Detailed financial modelling, projected cash flows and revenue-sharing arrangements will also form part of the assessment.Delhi has 675 officially recognised JJ clusters, though officials estimate the actual number to be around 750. The last comprehensive survey, conducted in 2014, identified nearly 700 JJ clusters and around 3.3 lakh households. However, without an updated, verified database of slums and JJ clusters, Delhi govt plans a fresh survey to count settlements and households and identify beneficiaries for its proposed in-situ rehabilitation programme to improve housing and amenities.These clusters house thousands of working-class residents, including domestic workers, drivers, vegetable vendors and auto-rickshaw operators, who form an integral part of Delhi’s informal economy.Redevelopment is aimed at improving living conditions in these settlements, many of which lack adequate housing and civic amenities, while providing eligible families access to formal housing. Under the govt’s proposed Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makan scheme, residents are to be rehabilitated at or near their existing locations through multi-storey economically weaker section (EWS) flats, broadly within a 0-3 km radius wherever feasible. To widen the scheme’s coverage, Delhi govt has extended the JJ basti identification cut-off date from Jan 1, 2006, to Jan 1, 2025.
