New Delhi, June 21: A housing society group on Thursday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure implementation of earlier approved Land Pooling Policy, as the new policy will deprive people of affordable housing in some parts of the national capital, and also warned of an agitation if this was not done.

The Federation of Housing Societies and Developers in Delhi (FEDHSDD), which held a day-long protest at the Delhi Development Authority's (DDA) office, also wrote to Modi demanding immediate rollback of modified land pooling policy as it will "increase the cost of homes by 40-50 per cent and affect more than 40,000 people who have invested under the policy".

"This sudden spike in rates is because the DDA, in its modified policy, has brought down the Floor Area Ratio (FAR) from 400 to 180. This change defeats the main purpose of affordable housing and will lead to the growth of unauthorized colonies in Delhi," FEDHSDD Secretary Satish Aggarwal told the media here. 

"We will go to the Prime Minister's office and go on a hunger strike if our demands are not met," he said.

Aggarwal has also alleged that the DDA has taken a "U-turn" on their 2013 land pooling policy notification and arbitrarily modified the policy to benefit large developers and builders by reducing FARs, making one-time payment of External Development Charges (EDC) mandatory and by making provision of consortium necessary.

According to the newly-proposed modification, he claimed that "a few private developers will take over the role of DDA as a consolidator and facilitator".

"It is a nexus between DDA and big builders to deprive cooperative housing societies to get affordable homes. In a very haphazard and arbitrary manner, DDA has tried to skirt all its responsibilities. It is a ploy to kill cooperative housing movement to favour big builders. We will not allow this to happen," Aggarwal said. 

He also pointed out that the earlier policy would have provided at least 25 lakh affordable homes to people including 50,000 homes to people in the economically weaker section (EWS) category.

"The people of Delhi have invested approximately Rs 35,000 crore in it. Previously, all the stakeholders and farmers were satisfied with the provisions but now, from where will we manage the extra money," he said.

The Federation, with thousands of its members and farmers, are planning to hold a big protest to pressurize DDA to revert its decision. 

"Farmers who have sold their land in the proposed zone in north Delhi are up in arms against DDA and have threatened to launch a big protest. The Federation has given several letters to the DDA Vice Chairman and has also written to Prime Minister Modi to resolve the issue, but the government has failed to listen to our suggestions," Aggarwal said.

Meanwhile, DDA on Wednesday said that a public hearing on the land pooling policy will be conducted on July 2 and 3.

Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.



Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.

The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.

The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.

Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.

"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.

Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.

“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.

Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.

"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.

The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.

Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.

"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.

The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.

Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.