The Centre is considering a one-year extension of protection from demolitions and sealing granted to certain kinds of illegal constructions in Delhi that is set to end on December 31, according to multiple sources.
The protection from punitive action was given to slum clusters, illegal buildings and constructions in unauthorised colonies that existed as of March 31, 2002 till June 1, 2014 by the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Act, 2017. The Act was first passed in 2014, giving three-year immunity from action, and then amended to give another three years in 2017. Similar protections have been extended under various laws from 2006 onward.
Ordinance planned
With no winter session of Parliament scheduled this year, the government would bring in an ordinance to extend the protections for a year, the sources said. A Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry official said the process of extending the provisions of the Act has been started.
BJP sources said the issue came up for discussion between HUA Minister Hardeep Singh Puri, Leader of Opposition in the Delhi Assembly Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and State BJP president Adesh Gupta during a meeting on December 14.
According to a source, Mr. Puri assured the leaders that an ordinance would be introduced. The source added that it has been decided to extend the validity of the existing provisions for a year so that tho-se affected would not have to deal with the possibility of demolition of their properties at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic had hit businesses. Another source said a one-year extension was considered as opposed to three years since the Master Plan 2041 is being drafted and was expected to be completed in 2021, addressing the issues of the illegal constructions permanently.
On December 16, Confederation of All-India Traders secretary general Praveen Khandelwal wrote to Mr. Puri asking for an extension of the Act for a “reasonable time”, as “the Master Plan of Delhi 2041 is under the draft stage and various authorities have yet to complete their responsibilities as spelled out in the said Act”.
