He visited a camp set up by the Delhi Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board (DBOCWWB) at a labor camp in Karol Bagh to spread awareness and initiate registration of the Sasta Ghar Housing Scheme launched by the Delhi Development Authority (DDA). Under the special scheme, DDA is offering a 25 percent discount to construction workers on 700 of its Economically Weaker Section (EWS) flats in Northwest Delhi’s Narela.

According to officials at the Karol Bagh camp, around 110 workers visited them over the weekend to inquire about the scheme and showed their interest in buying a house. (Express Photo)

These camps have been set up all over Delhi under the direction of Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena, who also serves as the DDA Chairman, to make beneficiaries aware of the scheme.

According to officials at the Karol Bagh camp, around 110 workers visited them over the weekend to inquire about the scheme and showed their interest in buying a house. Officials said homebuyers will have to register on DDA’s website by paying a fee of Rs. 2,500.

They can also visit the site where sample flats are available. After the visit, if they want to buy a house, they would have to pay Rs 50,000 as a down payment for booking the flat. Ambak, a financial institution registered with DDA, will assist applicants with financing the purchase. The flat will cost Rs. 8.5 lakhs.

Pyaarelal wants his wife, Phul Kumari, and their three children to come to Delhi, along with his parents, if he ends up owning a flat. “Once I call the kids here, I will be able to focus on their studies and take care of them properly. Right now, they are 700 km away. I miss my family and will call all of them here if I get a flat,” he said.

Officials said homebuyers will have to register on DDA’s website by paying a fee of Rs. 2,500. (Express Photo)

Another worker, Bhim Kumar also wants to buy a house under the scheme. Kumar has been working on the Unity Group project for four years, and he lives in a slum area near the Shadipur depot. He is not concerned about the distance of the flats from his current workplace. “If we get a flat, we will move there and I will take a bus or train. If I don’t, I will find work in Narela, after all, that is also an industrial area,” Kumar said.

Both Pyaarelal and Kumar said they would have to take a loan as they have not been able to save money from their monthly wages of around Rs 15,000.

As many as 500 people visited the camp organized at the office of Delhi Commission for Safai Karamcharis for construction workers, as well as other categories of people eligible for the discounted prices on DDA’s flats such as those belonging to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe categories, auto-rickshaw drivers, beneficiaries of PM Vishwakarma scheme among others.

Both Pyaarelal and Kumar said they would have to take a loan as they have not been able to save money from their monthly wages of around Rs 15,000. (Express Photos)

Rajesh, 49, who uses his first name, works for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) as a peon, visited the camp on Sunday. For Rajesh, who lives in Baljeet Nagar with his mother, it is an opportunity to own a house. “Until when will a man live with his mother?” He would want to move out sometime, right? This is a good scheme which will allow me to do that,” he said.

However, he is skeptical whether the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will continue the scheme if it does not win the upcoming Delhi Assembly elections in February.

Janak Dayma, 55, a homemaker, said her family is interested in buying a house. “We will first go and see the flat. Until you see the flats with your own eyes, obviously we can’t decide. Right now, everything seems good about the scheme. But we’ll have to check market rates as well. What if they are cheaper than what the DDA is offering?” she asked.