NEW DELHI, Sept. 18 -- The Delhi High Court on Wednesday refused to stay the demolition of the Signature View Apartments (SVA) in Mukherjee Nagar and directed nearly 100 families still living there to vacate by October 12. A bench of chief justice DK Upadhyay and justice Tushar Rao Gedela also ordered the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to pay rent to the residents, with a 10% annual increment, until the reconstructed flats are handed over. It asked DDA to set up a camp office inside the complex within two days to help residents with formalities related to vacating. The court allowed residents to remove their belongings and directed the DDA to ensure demolition is carried out with minimum inconvenience. "The stay of the residents for any period under this order shall be at their own risks... for the reasons already assigned in our earlier order dated August 7," the bench said. The order was passed in DDA's appeal against a single judge's December ruling. The judge had approved demolition and reconstruction of the towers, while rejecting DDA's plan to add 168 flats by using an enhanced floor area ratio (FAR). Residents told the court they were willing to vacate but sought a bar on DDA demolishing the complex and floating tenders for reconstruction. DDA's counsel Sanjay Jain argued that flats must be vacated in compliance with the earlier ruling. The same bench also rejected a petition by one resident challenging Justice Mini Pushkarna's August 6 order dismissing a review plea. Residents largely welcomed the clarity. "We welcome the order as a major step toward our society's redevelopment. It secures rent from the date of vacation with annual increments, permits removal of fixtures, and directs DDA to expedite handovers," said Gaurav Pandey, RWA general secretary....