Bill to extend protection to illegal colonies in LS

New Delhi, December 13

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri introduced a Bill seeking to extend the validity of the provision to protect unauthorised colonies from any action in the city for three more years (till December 2026).

By that time, the government will come out with the Delhi master plan, which is expected to provide a roadmap for the arrangement of shanties, unauthorised colonies, farmhouses, village population areas and other existing land policy and regulation infirmities.

Growth of Delhi over the last many years has led to an increase in demand for housing, commercial space and other civic amenities.

This gap between demand and supply has resulted in the problems of encroachments on public land, growth of slums, unauthorised constructions, etc.

To regulate it, the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011, was enacted for orderly arrangement of unauthorised development in the city in consonance with the master plan, the government said in the statement of objects and reasons.

To ensure that other legislative and regulatory backing that existed did not lapse taking a toll on the residents of these areas, the amendment to the bill on special arrangements in Delhi was brought.

The government also informed the lower House that the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Act, 2019, has been enacted and the regulation to enforce it was notified on October 29, 2019, to confer ownership rights to the residents of unauthorised colonies.