In a bid to provide relief from sealing and demolition of unauthorised constructions in poll-bound Delhi, Parliament on Tuesday passed a Bill that will give them protection from demolition for three years beyond this year-end, with Government saying it is in advanced stages of regularising 1,200 such colonies.
The main purpose of this Bill is not only to protect certain forms of unauthorised developments from punitive action in Delhi but also to provide for opportunity to the Government agencies to finalise the norms, policy guidelines and feasible strategies as well as the orderly implementation of the plan in this regard.
The National Capital of Delhi laws (Special Provisions) Second Amendment Bill 2014 was passed by Rajya Sabha by a voice vote in a hurried manner on the last day of the Winter Session. The lok Sabha had already passed the Bill.
The Bill provides for extension of the existing Act, which gives protection to unauthorised colonies from demolition, for a period of three years from January 1, 2015. The bill seeks orderly arrangements pursuant to guidelines and regulations for regularisation of unauthorised colonies, village abadi areas (including urban villages) and their extensions, as existed on the 31st day of March 2002, and where construction took place even beyond date and up to June 1, 2014.
As per the provisions of the Bill, orderly arrangements had to be made for relocation or rehabilitation of slum dwellers and jhuggis and slum clusters; regularisation of street vendors; regularisation of unauthorised colonies, village abadi areas and their extensions and existing farmhouses; regularisation of schools, dispensaries, religious and cultural institutions, storages, warehouses and godowns built on agricultural land; redevelopment of existing godown clusters and building regulation for special areas.
The objective of the extension of time is not only to protect certain forms of unauthorised developments from punitive action in the NCT of Delhi, but also to provide for opportunity to the Government agencies to finalise the norms, policy guidelines and feasible strategies as well as orderly implementation of the plan in this regard. National Capital Territory of Delhi laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011 is due to expire on 31st December 2014.
Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, while piloting the Bill, said lakhs of people in Delhi live in slums who cannot be evicted and hence the legislation is the need of the hour for the Capital, which is mini-India. He said the Government will now take steps towards regularisation of 1,200 plus unauthorised colonies in Delhi.