Expedite verification of claims of Kathputli Colony residents:

Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri today asked the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to expedite the verification of claims of 771 applicants who had been rejected earlier for a house under the Kathputli Colony redevelopment plan, a DDA official said.
Puri also spoke to Delhi Lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal over the matter.
Under the Kathputli redevelopment plan, taken up in 2009, as many as 2,800 EWS houses were to be built for the eligible residents.
About half of the demolition work has so far been completed and about 2.50 hectares of the total encroached area of 5.20 hectares have been reclaimed for redevelopment, the official said.

The DDA constituted a three-member Appellate Authority chaired by a retired additional district and sessions judge to hear the appeals against the rejection of claims by the Eligibility Determination Committee.
Puri today directed early completion of hearing of these appeals and asked the DDA to ensure accommodation for all the eligible claimants.

As many as 1,355 families have been shifted to transit accommodation at Anand Parbat, while 492 claimants were offered permanent EWS houses in Narela. Fresh claims were also received in the meantime.
As the DDA team went to the colony today to pursue those still staying there to move out, some people tried to resort to stone pelting, the official said.

When the matter was brought to his notice, the official said, Puri called the Vice-Chairman of the DDA and discussed the matter in detail and gave the direction to expedite verification of the claims of the applicants.
About 400 families have volunteered so far to move out of Kathputli Colony and the DDA has made necessary transport arrangements for them, the official said.