NEW DELHI, Dec 19
Union Minister for Housing and Urban Development Hardeep Puri Tuesday said the PM Uday, Jahan Jhuggi Wahin Ghar and Delhi land-pooling schemes will benefit 1.2 crore people in Delhi as the Lok Sabha passed The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023 by a voice vote without the Opposition being present in the House.
The Opposition has been protesting the suspension of over 100 MPs from both the Houses over their disruption of parliamentary proceedings on the issue of security breach demand from the government for a statement on the floor of the House.
The Bill passed on Tuesday aims to protect unauthorised colonies from demolition or sealing for three more years. Such protection started in 2006 and was given annual extension till 2011, following which three-year extensions were being given. The deadline for the last extension is due to expire this month.
Replying to the debate on the Bill, Puri said, “Delhi is not just growing in population and economy, it is virtually being rebuilt. This Bill will give us a time cushion to have wide ranging consultation on policy matters and guidelines for the orderly development of the unauthorised colonies. The Delhi master plan is at the final stage. Substantial benefits will accrue to citizens of Delhi from it.”
He said all suggestions of members made during the debate were already under consideration of the government.
Only three members, BJP’s Rambir Singh Bidhuri and Parvesh Singh Verma and Shiv Sena’s Rahul Shewale, participated in the debate.
“The people of unauthorised colonies have been struggling for 30 years. In 2019 they got owner’s rights through the PM Uday Yojana. In 2008, Sonia Gandhi announced from Ramlila Grounds that residents of unauthorised colonies would be given provisional certificates. The Congress won the elections on that promise. But till 2013, these colonies did not get regularised. In 2013 again they just passed a resolution in the Assembly to regularise them. AAP also betrayed the people,” Bidhuri alleged.
Parvesh Verma asked for a land pooling policy to be implemented. “If your family expands there is no policy on ground on how to expand your house. In the new master plan such a policy will be there. Regularising unauthorised colonies was the job of the Delhi government, but they did not do it. And so the Centre had to do it. Even sewer lines and power are being provided by funds from the Centre,” he said, while requesting to include land pooling policy in the masterplan.
“Agricultural land in Delhi is Rs 2 crore an acre in Delhi but a kilometre away in Gurgaon it is Rs 20 crore. Because in Gurgaon there is a policy,” he pointed out. Rahul Shewale of Shiv Sena asked for a mechanism to check the increasing population of illegal immigrants in slums.
Earlier, initiating the debate, Puri said that the latest population census of Delhi is 1.6 crore and by next census it is expected to be around 2.5 crore.
“Issues related to unauthorised colonies or encroachments cannot be dealt with inhuman orders of sealing or mass demolitions. May be because of the poverty of our policies, unauthorised colonies came up. In 2019 we were told that the surveys will take another two years. Then we brought the PM Uday scheme,” he said.
“It is our assessment that the population in unauthorised colonies is between 40-50 lakh. We need around 8-10 lakh registrations thus. But only 4 lakh registrations have happened till date. Clearly more work needs to be done,” the minister added.
