Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said the various redevelopment projects of the Central government, including the “Jahan Jhuggi Wahin Makaan” and the PM-UDAY schemes, are expected to benefit at least 1.35 crore residents of Delhi.
Mr. Puri said the “Jahan Jhuggi Wahin Makaan” scheme will benefit 10 lakh slum dwellers in Delhi, while around 50 lakh residents of unauthorised colonies will benefit from PM-UDAY. Parallelly, at least 75 lakh Delhiites will benefit from the Delhi Development Authority’s (DDA) land pooling policy (LPP), he added.
DDA Act to be amended
Making the announcement on the LPP ahead of the voting for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) elections on December 4, Mr. Puri said the Centre was going to bring in an amendment to the Delhi Development Act, 1957, in its efforts to hasten the land pooling scheme’s implementation.
The LPP was notified on two occasions (in 2013 and 2018), however, the DDA has faced multiple roadblocks in its implementation on the ground due to two eligibility conditions – minimum participation of 70% of the landowners and 70% contiguous land.
One of the proposed amendments — first announced by Mr. Puri in early March, prior to the now-cancelled polls to the three erstwhile civic bodies — will make pooling of land mandatory for the remaining landowners if the minimum participation rate of 70% is achieved. The other amendment grants power to the Centre to declare land pooling mandatory, even if the minimum criteria of 70% participation and 70% contiguity are not achieved.
“About 7,100 applications have been received from land owners and around 7,400 hectares have been pooled till date,” he added.
Hits out at AAP
At a press conference, Mr. Puri also accused the AAP-led Delhi government for delaying the redevelopment and rehabilitation work in the 299 JJ clusters under its control.
“Of the total 675 clusters in Delhi, 376 are on DDA and Centre’s land and we finished the survey in 210 of them, and applications from slum dwellers have also been received. Work in the remaining 166 clusters will be completed soon,” Mr. Puri said, adding, “We will also step in and start work in the 299 clusters under the Delhi government after the MCD elections if there is any further delay from their [Delhi government] side.”
The Delhi government did not respond to Mr. Puri’s charges at the time of filing this report.
The Union Minister also said provisions will be made in the Delhi Master Plan-2041 to help people redevelop their old buildings with enhanced floor area ratios. “The above provisions would cater to an increase in dwelling unit size/number of dwelling units and toilets to cater to an increase in family size and population,” he told reporters. “The provisions would also cater to improvements in layout, accessibility through the road network plan, and improvements in parking.”
Talking about the 3,024 flats for slum dwellers inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier this month, Mr. Puri said more such projects were in advanced stages. “Jailorwala Bagh project with 1,675 flats will be completed in the next few months, while another project in Kathputli Colony will be ready next year,” he added.
