In flight path, Vasant Kunj flats a full floor over norms

New Delhi: Some 1,900 flats built by the Delhi Development Authority at Vasant Kunj violate height clearances by as much as four metres – almost an entire floor — despite being in the landing path of aircraft using the third runway of the city airport at Palam.
Not only were the flats not constructed in time for the Commonwealth Games – they were meant to be provided as three-star accommodation for technical experts – they do not adhere to the height sanctioned by the Airports Authority of India even after it relaxed norms.
The Shunglu committee probing games irregularities found flats that are part of the "ground plus 8" scheme of the DDA exceeded height restrictions. In its report on city infrastructure, the committee said, "The committee finds as against 27 metres, the actual height is 30.8 metres and the DDA has therefore violated the AAI norms."
While not coming on record, DDA sources said, "The height of the Vasant Kunj flats is only around 1.6 metres more than the permissible height of 29 metres. This observation was made by AAI last year but DDA assured the authority that it would demolish the extra portion after the games."
Terming the upgrade of the DDA flats in Vasant Kunj 'prohibitively expensive', the V K Shunglu committee report highlights that not a single foreign tourist stayed there while it cost the exchequer Rs 1.43 lakh per night to lodge 671 technicians at the flats. The flats were upgraded to a three-star tourist accommodation facility at a cost of Rs 108 crore.
27/03/11 Rajeev Deshpande & Ruhi Bhasin/Times of India

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Categories: Airports Mar 2011, Safety Mar 2011