Need timely plan to regulate unauthorised colonies: Delhi LG to officials

The officials said that LG took stock of the status of works related to regularisation of the unauthorized colonies and rehabilitation of the slum dwellers under the PM-UDAY and PMAY (Urban)

Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena directed the officials to come up with a time-bound plan for regularisation of the unauthorised colonies and stressed that the process needed to be made simple and hassle-free, said officials of the Raj Niwas on Monday.

Following the passage of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) 2023 by the Parliament recently, Saxena chaired a meeting with the chief secretary, the officials of urban development, PWD, the vice-chairman of DDA, the commissioner of MCD and other senior officials of various stakeholder departments/agencies, they added.

The officials said that he took stock of the progress and status of works related to regularisation of the unauthorized colonies and rehabilitation of the slum dwellers under the PM-UDAY and PMAY (Urban) respectively.

Saxena asked the officers to give specific timelines with regards to complete implementation of PM-UDAY, PMAY and the Land Pooling Policy of the DDA.

The lieutenant governor was informed that ambiguity in the boundaries of the unauthorised colonies, repeated extension of cut off dates and uncertainty in notified slum clusters had kept the issue hanging for long and this finally led the Centre to formulate the PM-UDAY and PMAY schemes in 2019.

However, immediately after that, with the COVID pandemic commencing, works could not be undertaken in full swing, they said.

"The LG expressed surprise and concern at the fact that this Act in different versions had been in operation since December, 2006, and yet the matter remained hanging, notwithstanding the constraints caused by the Pandemic," an official said.

Saxena directed the officials to come up with a concrete time-bound plan of action for registration, verification and subsequent regularisation of the unauthorised colonies and stressed that the process of doing the same needed to be made simple and hassle-free.

He warned that no dereliction or corruption will be tolerated.

The lieutenant governor directed the DDA to immediately identify alternate sites within a radius of five kms where in situ rehabilitation was not possible as per law and the slum dwellers be rehabilitated to a dignified life in flats/houses that have already been constructed under various schemes, the officials said.

He instructed the officials to ensure that the entire plan should be put into place within a month and concrete action should start immediately.

The lieutenant governor stressed that all tasks should be completed at least an year earlier than the outer limit of 2026 provided by the Act recently passed by the Parliament.