Legal tag to unauthorised colonies hits O zone hurdle

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to temporarily suspend the application process of these unauthorised colonies, as they fall in the O zone, which is the Yamuna floodplain area, as per the Master Plan of Delhi-2021.

The wait to get ownership of their properties has just got longer for residents of nearly 76 unauthorised colonies in Delhi, which are among the 1,731 colonies approved by the Centre under PM-UDAY.

A view of the unauthorised colonies, at Ganesh Nagar, in New Delhi. (Biplov Bhuyan/ HT Photo)

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has decided to temporarily suspend the application process of these unauthorised colonies, as they fall in the O zone, which is the Yamuna floodplain area, as per the Master Plan of Delhi-2021.

The decision was taken after several ownership applications from residents of unauthorised colonies in Jaitpur, Badarpur, Okhla, Karawal Nagar, etc were rejected by the DDA due to the master plan provision.

DDA vice-chairman Anurag Jain said that unauthorised colonies falling in the O zone and the floodplain are in the prohibited category as per 2019 regulation for ownership rights.

Jain said, “We have issued directions to the survey agencies to not undertake surveys in the unauthorised colonies falling in the O zone till we resolve the issue. We are also issuing circulars informing the public representatives and the resident welfare associations about it.”

But there is growing discontent among residents of these unauthorised colonies. Rajesh Roy, 45, a resident of Harsh Vihar, Meetapur, in South Delhi’s Badarpur area, said that he received a message on September 30 from the DDA stating that his application has been rejected as the colony falls in O zone.

“Why did the DDA get our properties surveyed if they can’t process our applications due to the O zone? They should have not accepted our applications in the first place. We have spent so much money and time in getting the documents ready. I was shocked to receive that message. The money paid for the survey is non-refundable,” said Roy, who works as an accountant in a private firm.

Roy, who bought his two-storeyed house in 2003, said, “We were so happy when the scheme was announced last year, as finally we could get the registry done. But we are back to square one.”

A few kilometers away in Jaitpur, Kamal Dev (53), who has a three-storeyed house in Ekta Vihar, said that he has been running from pillar to post since July, when his application was rejected to know what can be done now. “I spent Rs 6,000 to get the paperwork done, including Rs 1,180 on the survey. I have been to several DDA offices, but they don’t tell me clearly what can be done,” said Dev, who has been living here for the past 25 years.

With the DDA resuming the process, field surveys were put on hold due to Coronavirus pandemic in March, in June, applicants are now getting to know the status of their applications. Till October 23, the DDA has issued 1946 conveyance deeds and authorisation slips to residents of unauthorised colonies in Delhi. No application in the O zone was approved, said an official.

Jain said that those whose applications have got rejected need not worry. “The residents whose applications have been rejected on this ground (‘O’ zone) alone need not worry. As and when we commence the process again, we will permit them to revive their applications on the basis of the survey already done. They will not have to pay for the survey again.”

BJP MLA Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, leader of the opposition in the Delhi assembly, along with Karawal Nagar MLA Mohan Singh Bisht on Wednesday met Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri and the DDA vice-chairman to discuss the issue.

Bidhuri said, “We have requested the minister to direct the DDA to remove these colonies from the ‘O’ zone so that lakhs of people living in these colonies can benefit PM-UDAY. We also met the DDA V-C in this regard There are 100-odd colonies affected due to the ‘O’ zone.”

But people in these colonies demand concrete action. Anil Sharma, Meetapur resident who has formed an association to push for denotification of the colony from O zone, said the colony is more than a 1.5km from the floodplain. “This was agricultural land, but we are still placed in O zone. Due to this, several development projects are stuck. People believed in the central government’s promise and applied for ownership rights. But now they feel cheated, as their applications are now being rejected. People are very upset and are planning a protest.”

Jain said that in 2013, the DDA had approved a proposal to remove these unauthorised colonies from the O zone and put then and E and F zones. But the process was stayed by the National Green Tribunal and the principal committee was directed to review it. “We are in the process of preparing a detailed report which we will present before the NGT’s principal committee to remove these colonies from the O zone. When the committee accepts and approves it, then the process to grand ownership rights will commence again,” Jain said.

Urban planner AK Jain, former planning commission DDA, said that these areas were put in the O zone after careful, detailed study by various agencies. “These colonies have come up illegally on the floodplain, which has been earmarked after detailed studies by various agencies. There is a need to carefully study the pros and cons before removing these colonies from the O zone. The ridge and the river zones are sacrosanct and should be retained and conserved. In case of a flood, these areas are prone to liquefaction and result in large scale damage.”