Centre legalises Delhi’s unauthorized colonies, 40 lakh residents to benefit 

at 12:56 pm
Cabinet Briefing
Union Minister Prakash Javadekar, Ravi Shankar Prasad and Hardeep Singh Puri held Cabinet Briefing

New Delhi (NVI): The centre on October 23 approved the regulation for conferring, recognizing ownership or mortgage and transfer rights to 40 lakh residents of unauthorized colonies in Delhi.

Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced the ownership rights to about 40 lakh citizen with the decision of legalising unauthorised colonies in Delhi,  in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Ravi Shankar Prasad at the cabinet meeting here, an official statement said.  

The Cabinet has further approved to present the Bill during winter session of Parliament to implement the proposal. 

This decision will benefit more than 40 lakh residents of unauthorized colonies spread over around 175 sq kms, as development and redevelopment can now take place in these colonies resulting in a clean, secure and healthy living environment, said the statement. 

“It will address major issues being faced by the residents of UCs like lack ownership/transfer rights, provision of basic infrastructure and civic amenities. With the recognition of property documents, the property holders in these colonies can now enter into valid property transactions. Besides providing a legitimate claim to the property, the decision will encourage property holders to invest in safe structures, thereby improving the living conditions in these colonies substantially,” it added. 

The decision is applicable to 1,797 identified UCs, which are inhabited by lower-income group society.  The decision does not apply to 69 affluent colonies identified by DDA, including Sainik Farms, Mahendru Enclave and Anant Ram Dairy, said an official statement. 

“The rights will be conferred on payment of nominal charge based on carpet area/plot size. For colonies on Government land, the charge will be 0.5% (for less than 100 sq m), 1% (for 100 – 250 sqm) and  2.5% (for greater than 250 sqm), of the circle rate of highest category of locality of the residential area surrounding the UC,” it further added. 

“For colonies on private land, the charge will be half of the charge on government land.”

As per the existing Regulations of 2008, the entire process of regularization was to be coordinated and supervised by the government of National Capital Territory of Delhi, (GNCTD) by giving wide publicity. Delineation of boundary of UC is the starting point of the process as per the Regulations. 

However, GNCTD could not delineate the boundaries of these colonies even after 11 years of issuance of the Regulations and has sought more time up to 2021 to complete this exercise.

People living in these UCs have neither invested in safe structures nor could the Government create any social infrastructure on account of these colonies having developed without approved Layout Plan (LOP). 

In the absence of basic amenities, the residents of these colonies are living in uninhabitable conditions. Though the Master Plan Delhi-2021 allows for redevelopment of colonies with 50% additional Floor Area Ratio (FAR) as an incentive, no redevelopment has taken place so far as the residents do not have ownership rights.

–PS