E-Paper
DDA, Delhi govt spar over survey of slums
New Delhi:
New Delhi:
As the Centre and the Delhi government spar over granting ownership rights in unauthorised colonies, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has asked the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) to discontinue the survey it was conducting to demarcate boundaries of slums and slums on land under the land-owning body.
According to DUSIB officials, DDA also asked the Board to return the money which was given to conduct the survey of JJ colonies on DDA land.
The move comes at a time when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are targeting each other over providing ownership rights in illegal colonies. The central government had on October 23 announced ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies.
DUSIB member Bipin Rai said the surveys are aimed to create a database for housing demand in the city for in-situ rehabilitation of people living in slums . As part of the in-situ rehabilitation policy, concrete (pucca) houses will be allotted to slum dwellers at the same place where they had been living.
“In February this year, DUSIB was asked to carry out survey of slum clusters, including those on DDA land. More than 70% survey has been completed but now in the middle of the process, DDA has asked us not to survey the settlements on the land owned by DDA and other central government agencies,” Rai said.
The Delhi government aims to provide permanent houses to slum dwellers as part of the Mukhya Mantri Aawas Yojana (MMAY) while the Centre has announced the ‘Jaha Jhuggi Wahi Makan’ under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
According to government officials, the dispute is also because the Delhi government had refused to implement the Centre’s Prandhamantri Awas Yojna, saying that MMAY was better than what promised by the Centre.
Tarun Kapoor, vice-chairperson DDA, confirmed that they had asked DUSIB not to conduct the survey. “Such directions were issued when DUSIB did not carry out survey of the clusters on DDA land for long. We had sent reminders but to no avail. They began the survey after we started doing it on our own and inspected 32 settlements,” he said.
Kapoor said DDA would now carry out a survey on its own. He said residents of such colonies will be provided permanent houses under PMAY.
Countering the allegations, Rai said the initial delay occurred due to the Lok Sabha elections. “DUSIB had started surveying the settlements this year in February, but the process was halted during the Lok Sabha elections. It had resumed in June,” he said.
