SDMC notifies policy for building plans in refugee colonies

South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has notified its policy for sanctioning of building plans in the refugee colonies under its jurisdiction.
The decision follows the move by Union Urban Development Ministry to convert refugee colonies in the national capital from leasehold to freehold, after a gap of nearly 60 years.
Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the ministry had allotted flats on lease in these refugee colonies between 1955 and 1965.
As per the Master Plan Delhi 2021, double-storeyed flats planned before 1962 shall be treated as residential plots, SDMC said in a statement here.
Keeping in view the provisions of the Master Plan and a communication from L&DO in March, it has been decided to implement the resolution of the Standing Committee subject to, among others, structural stability of the common area, like staircases, etc., being ensured by the applicants.

Further, the building plan may be considered only for re- construction and not for addition or alteration to the existing structure.
"If the ground floor and the first floor of a particular flat belongs to one particular family, they can do construction work after taking approval. If different families occupy the ground and first floors, they can chart a plan mutually and get it passed," SDMC had earlier said.
A delegation comprising officials of all three municipal corporations, led by Leader of the House in SDMC, Subhash Arya, had met Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu to press the demand of people in such colonies for the sanctioning of building plans.