Govt will bring bill in Parliament, Modi tells residents of unauthorised colonies

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that the Central government will diligently complete the work of transferring ownership rights to the 40 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies in the national capital and a bill will be brought in the winter session of Parliament.

"The government will complete the work with utmost responsibility," Modi said addressing a gathering of BJP leaders along with Resident Welfare Association (RWA) officeholders and members of unauthorised colonies.

The group had arrived to meet PM Narendra Modi at his residence to thank him for the Cabinet's decision to give ownership rights to 40 lakh people living in unauthorised colonies in Delhi.

The Prime Minister said the motive of the decision was "Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas".

He said the decision was above politics and was meant for every individual irrespective of their religion or political affiliations.

Noting that a culture had developed after Independence of abstaining from or stalling decisions, he said this led to instability in our lives.

Referring to Jammu and Kashmir, Prime Minister said the temporary provision of Article 370 led to instability and confusion in the region.

Referring to Triple Talaq, he said it made the lives of housewives miserable.

He said the PM-UDAY scheme was launched after thorough consultations with people from all walks of life including the local MPs, MLAs and other residents of the colonies.

Prime Minister described the move to transfer ownership rights as a victory of the residents of Delhi who tried to cooperate with every government in the past with the hope that they would bring about a change in their lives.

He said the Government did not want the instability and uncertainty reigning in the lives of these residents, and hence decided to bring about the law to confer the ownership/transfer rights to them.

"This would change the fortune of entire Delhi. And till the fortune of Delhi changes, the country's fortune will not change," he said.

The government, he said, had removed both these anomalies and had similarly worked towards removing the threat of eviction for over 40 Lakh residents of these colonies.

He also referred to the recent decision to revive the stalled housing projects for the middle-class citizens.

He said the decision would help over 4.5 Lakh home buyers in the country and help them restart their lives in a peaceful manner.

On October 23, the Union Cabinet announced that it had approved regulations for conferring and recognising ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies, which would benefit 40 lakh residents of the national capital.

The Cabinet also gave its approval to bringing a Bill in the next session of Parliament to implement the proposal.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar, announcing the move, said that the decision will benefit more than 40 lakh residents of unauthorised colonies spread over around 175 sq km as development and redevelopment can now take place in these colonies resulting in a clean, secure and healthy living environment.

The decision is applicable to 1,797 identified unauthorised colonies that are inhabited by lower-income groups and does not apply to 69 affluent colonies identified by DDA including Sainik Farms, Mahendru Enclave and Anant Ram Dairy.