Parliament passes bill to protect Delhi’s unauthorized colonies from punitive action
On Wednesday, Parliament enacted the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws Parliament passes bill
(Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2021, protecting almost 1,700 unauthorized colonies in Delhi from punishment for the next three years. During elections in the nation’s capital, residents of unofficial colonies
often prove to be a crucial factor in which party ultimately wins public support.
As a result of this legislation, the government will delay taking drastic measures,
such as demolishing and closing 1,731 recognised unauthorized colonies, until December 2023.
The measure had already been approved by the Rajya Sabha on February 9, and it quickly passed the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.
According to Hardeep Singh Puri, minister of state (independent charge) for housing and urban affairs,Parliament passes bill
the bill will prevent unauthorized colonies from being
sealed until December 31, 2023.
In 2007, 2009, 2014, and 2017 these safeguards
were extended through ordinances and laws.Parliament passes bill
Adesh Gupta, head of the Delhi chapter of the BJP, has remarked that this measure will be
a huge comfort for the people who live in these colonies.
We appreciate Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership in getting the law through Parliament. He said the occupants of illegal colonies
have been given the much-needed relief.
The Aam Aadmi Party has expressed its approval of the protection extension but has also called for the regularization of these colonies.
We appreciate the extension, but it is imperative that
colonies be regularized. Durgesh Pathak, a leader and spokesperson for the AAP,
said that the BJP had promised to do so but was now going back on its word.
Politics in Delhi’s unrecognized enclaves are perennial hot-button issues during the city’s yearly election cycle.
There are three major political parties competing for voters’ support in this
election: the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Congress Party.
Delhi’s Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia suggested allocating Rs 1,550 crore for
development activities in unapproved colonies in the city’s projected budget for 2021-22.
Sisodia added that, of the 1,797 illegal settlements, construction is either finished or under way in 1,345.
The Union Cabinet adopted a plan to give residents in illegal colonies the ability to buy land in 2019. At a later date, a bill giving citizens full property rights was ratified by Parliament.
Pradhan Mantri-Unauthorized Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana (PM-UDAY)
allows residents of such colonies to legally claim their homes and land from the federal government.
Residents of these colonies can now apply for ownership rights under PM-UDAY
through a website created by the Delhi Development Authority.
A NEW DELHI: At a press conference on Tuesday,
Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri announced changes to the PM-UDAY
scheme that will make it easier for residents of Delhi’s unauthorized colonies to take advantage of the programme. Applicants will no longer need a will, and in the case of privately owned land,
they will be granted ownership rights over the entire plot.
The government claims that many people who apply for housing through the Pradhan
Mantri – Unauthorized Colony in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana (PM-UDAY) initiative do not have a legal will.
Around one thousand PM-UDAY applications
had to be put on hold as of
March 4 of this year since no legitimate “will” or “gift deed” paperwork were available.
The change is being made in preparation for the
pm uday yojana upcoming municipal
elections in April, the dates of which are
expected to be revealed later this week.
At a press conference with DDA Vice Chairman Manish Gupta by his side,
Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Puri said that the proposed amendment to remove the requirement that
applicants submit a valid will would address the concerns of those
whose applications had been delayed because no will had been submitted.
According to Gupta, this will help increase the number of conveyance deeds and
authorization slips, which will speed up the disposal of cases.
He stated that the development control criteria for unauthorized colonies were
created to better the quality of the built environment, and that doing so would also
ensure the availability of low-cost rental accommodation and boost the area’s economy.
A pair of alternate approaches to implementing upgrades and enhancements in illegal colonies are also part of the new procedures (UC).
The ministry said in a statement, “Smaller plots can come together through
amalgamation/reconstitution for better living environment and big open spaces up to minimum size of 2000 sqm.”
The document also said that preexisting colonies would be regularized on a case-by-case basis.
By ensuring a minimum road width of 6 meters, public amenities, connection, the expansion of infrastructure services,
and the creation of open spaces, it would allow for planned development. A minimum of 2,000 square
meters of a colony’s land is required
before it can be considered for regularization,
according to the document.
More than 50 lakh individuals, according to Puri, will receive pucca dwellings as part of the
‘Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makan’ scheme for in-situ slum restoration in Delhi.
8,000 homes among three ongoing developments in Kalkaji, Jailorwala Bagh, and Kathputli colony.
DDA vice chairman says 1,675 EWS bungalows in Jailorwala Bagh and Ashok
Vihar will likely be finished by May 31 and
allocated to qualified JJ residents.
Two thousand eight hundred economically weaker section (EWS) apartments at
Kathputli Colony and Shadipur are expected
to be finished by the end of the year.
