New Delhi: Lieutenant governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Thursday visited Swabhiman Apartments, a Delhi Development Authority (DDA) housing project at Jailorwala Bagh in Ashok Vihar, and interacted with residents to gather first-hand feedback on living conditions, civic amenities and maintenance issues.The visit was undertaken in the spirit of citizen-centric governance. Following the interaction, the LG directed the departments concerned to address residents’ concerns on priority to ensure a safe, clean and well-maintained living environment.Swabhiman Apartments is among the flagship housing projects being implemented under the Prime Minister’s vision of “Jahan Jhuggi, Wahin Makan”, aimed at rehabilitating residents of jhuggi-jhopri clusters through in-situ redevelopment.“During the visit, residents expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister for enabling them to move from informal settlements into permanent homes with improved civic amenities. However, they also flagged concerns such as seepage in some flats, poor garbage management, irregular functioning of lifts in a few towers, and problems caused by miscreants in the area,” an official said.Taking immediate cognisance of the issues, the LG directed the DDA, district administration and Delhi Police to resolve them on priority. He stressed that Swabhiman Apartments represented transformative infrastructure and that poor maintenance must not be allowed to undermine such landmark initiatives.The housing complex comprises modern pucca multi-storey residential units with ownership rights, designed to provide dignified and secure housing to economically weaker sections. Officials said the project marks a significant step towards improving the quality of life of marginalised communities.Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated 1,675 newly constructed flats at Swabhiman Apartments and handed over keys to eligible beneficiaries, marking the completion of DDA’s second successful in-situ slum rehabilitation project.
