Delhi's Unauthorised Colonies Get a Step Closer to Legal Ownership — Here's the Rs 100 Crore Plan
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta has written to Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar, requesting Rs 100 crore in Central financial assistance for the first phase of the revised Pradhan Mantri Unauthorised Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana (PM-UDAY). The letter was sent on July 12.
PM-UDAY is a Central Government scheme that grants legal ownership and property transfer rights to residents living in Delhi's unauthorised colonies. Under the scheme, eligible residents can obtain permanent ownership documents, sell their properties legally and access bank loans against their assets.
The scheme also allows properties currently held through General Power of Attorney, Will or Agreement to Sell to be converted into legally recognised, registered ownership titles.
Background: Centre's April Announcement
The push for funding follows an earlier announcement in April, when Gupta welcomed the Centre's decision to regularise Delhi's unauthorised colonies on an "As Is, Where Is" basis. She said the revised framework would allow 1,531 unauthorised colonies to be regularised without requiring prior approval of layout plans.
The Chief Minister had also confirmed that all plots and buildings within these colonies would be treated as residential properties under the updated policy.
She outlined a fixed timeline for joint surveys by revenue officials: the Delhi Development Authority's GIS survey would be completed within seven days, deficiencies addressed within the following 15 days, and conveyance deeds issued within 45 days. Of Delhi's 1,731 unauthorised colonies, 511 were identified for immediate regularisation.
Centre's Broader Regularisation Push
In April, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal had announced regularisation of 1,511 unauthorised colonies on an "as is, where is" basis, scrapping the earlier requirement for approved layout plans. The move was described as major relief for more than 45 lakh migrant residents living across these settlements in the national capital.
The Union Minister also indicated that more than 60 affluent unauthorised colonies, including Sainik Farms and Anant Ram Dairy, would be considered for regularisation. However, he clarified that residents of these colonies would face higher charges, though the exact structure and schedule were still being worked out. "We will do it," he had said.
Who Benefits
The revised policy is expected to bring significant relief to nearly 45 lakh residents living in unauthorised colonies that developed on agricultural land over the past three to four decades — a result of Delhi's affordable housing shortage and rapid urban expansion.
(With inputs from IANS)
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