Government Passes law to protect unauthorized colonies and slums in Delhi

By Paras Mehra

( 2.47K Views) December 28, 2017

Government Passes law to protect unauthorized colonies and slums in Delhi

The Lok Sabha has passed the bill to protect the unauthorized colonies and slums in Delhi against any punitive action from any municipality till December 2020. Hence, if you are having unauthorized shops or house, slums on government land or otherwise, then you can take a deep breath as the government has extended the immunity to all the slums and unauthorized colonies.

What are unauthorized colonies?

Any property in Delhi must be passed by the proper mapping as approved by the local municipality and should be built as per the approved map and the local laws of the state. However, many times, people extend their shops and homes illegally towards the government land and create chaos. Further, extending shops towards government land is very common sight in Delhi and hence, it is a big relief for a large number of people.

Why government passed law even though it is illegal to occupy govt land?

This law may be seen as a preventive step because of upcoming elections in 2019 as the government is not in a mood of taking any tough decision before the 2019 election. Further, illegal occupants and slum are in large number and hence, taking strict action against them may cost many seats in the upcoming elections.

When illegal structure did came up?

The illegal structure came in Delhi when Sheila Dixit was in power in the period from 2002 to 2010/12. The Sheila government earlier sealed many building, shops but faced huge crack down from the public at large and the government passed the immunity bill for the total validity of three years which was further extended to 31^st December 2017. Hence, the government again extended the immunity for next three years to 31^st December 2020.

Who all are covered under illegal structures?

Prominent structures classified as illegal include shops, eateries, designer boutiques and furniture showrooms along the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road and outlets at upscale neighbourhoods such as Shahpur Jat and Hauz Khas Village. Many hospitals, religious institutions, schools and slums have also been found to be in this category.