60,000 slum dwellers in Punjab to get proprietary rights

Around 60,000 slum dwellers across the state will get the much-needed basic amenities along with proprietary rights, following the enactment of Punjab Slum Dwellers (Proprietary Rights) Act, 2020.

A government spokesperson in a statement on Monday said the legislation, passed in the Vidhan Sabha recently, will transform the urban slum areas, thus promoting sustainable growth of the cities, according to an official spokesperson, who underlined the importance of the Act in addressing the needs of the slum dwellers.

The state government led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh has decided to bring in the legislation to ensure civic amenities for slum dwellers instead of opting for the costly and cumbersome process of evicting them through the legal process, said the spokesperson.

At present, approximately 60,000 slum dwellers are living in 89 slums in 29 cities in the state.

The legislation would go a long way in ensuring inclusive growth of the slum dwellers besides upgrading the infrastructure in the urban areas, said the spokesperson, adding that the new law would entitle the slum dwellers occupying land in a slum in any urban area to being settled in the land occupied by him.

Following their settlement, the slum dwellers would get proprietary right to the land, after the concerned municipalities adopt the legislation through a resolution, according to the spokesperson. In accordance with the Act, the proprietary rights of the land to slum dwellers shall be inheritable but not transferable for 30 years.

A special feature of this Act is that the proprietary rights of the land shall be transferred in the joint name of both spouses if the marriage has taken place.

Further, as per the Act, if the land, currently occupied by slum dwellers, belongs to the Government or its statutory Board or Corporation, then they may be settled on the same after the government's consent.

If the slum dweller belongs to the EWS category, the proprietary right of the land shall be settled free of cost, while for the non-EWS category, it will be settled at such rates that the government may decide from time to time, said the spokesperson.