New Delhi:
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday launched the Mukhyamantri Aawas Yojana, an in-situ rehabilitation scheme for residents of the city’s slums, and initiated the distribution of housing certificates to 65,000 individuals, starting with south Delhi’s Ambedkar Nagar constituency.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had got into a tussle over the Mukhyamantri Aawas Yojana with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government, which has a similar in-situ rehabilitation policy of slum dwellers under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY).
For in-situ rehabilitation of slum dwellers, both governments used the tag line ‘Jaha Jhuggi, Waha Makaan’ during campaigns for the 2015 assembly elections and the 2017 municipal elections in Delhi.
“It is a matter of great pride and happiness for all of us today. The slum dwellers who have been covered under the Delhi government’s survey are getting pucca [concrete] houses. Certificate distribution programmes are happening at various locations in Delhi,” Kejriwal said at an event in Ambedkar Nagar on Tuesday.
He said, “The survey is underway in the entire city. Certificates will be given to all slum dwellers as soon as the survey is completed. Around 65,000 who have already been covered under the survey across the city are being given certificates. The certificate ensures no encroachment or demolition of slum areas.”
{{/usCountry}}He said, “The survey is underway in the entire city. Certificates will be given to all slum dwellers as soon as the survey is completed. Around 65,000 who have already been covered under the survey across the city are being given certificates. The certificate ensures no encroachment or demolition of slum areas.”
{{/usCountry}}The certificate bears the jhuggi number, name of the head of the family along with a family photograph, code number, survey code number and the voter identity card number of the beneficiary family. So far, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) has surveyed 156 slums in the city for the Mukhyamantri Awaas Yojana.
For now, the Delhi government has plans to construct multi-storeyed apartments in Lajpat Nagar, Bhalswa, Dev Nagar, Mongol Puri and Ambedkar Nagar.
In a parallel development, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) is conducting a separate survey of 370 slum clusters that came up on land owned by the central government. So far, DDA has completed the survey of 32 slum clusters and is likely to float tenders of in-situ redevelopment of nearly 10 clusters.
In July 2018, the Delhi cabinet had asked DUSIB to conduct a survey of slums in Delhi for the housing scheme. The modalities of the scheme were planned more than four years ago when the Delhi Slum & Jhuggi Jhopari Rehabilitation & Relocation Policy was drafted.
In February 2019, in adherence to lieutenant-governor (L-G) Anil Baijal’s directions, the DDA too had asked DUSIB to conduct a similar survey for the central government’s in-situ housing scheme. In November, DDA asked the board to stop its survey for slums that sprouted on DDA-owned land and refund money sanctioned it. Later, they started their independent survey.
Delhi has witnessed in-situ rehabilitation programme for slum dwellers under the central government before. For instance, Delhi’s first such in-situ rehabilitation programme in Kathputli colony, which was initiated under the then Congress government both in Delhi and the Centre, was implemented by DDA following court orders in 2017.