Hindustan Times | MCD polls: Puri blames AAP for doing nothing for rehabilitation of slums

Nov 30,2022

Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Wednesday said more projects for flats to slum residents were planned while blaming Delhi’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government for doing nothing for in-situ rehabilitation of slums on its land. He listed the work the Centre has done to address the housing-related issues in the capital.

Puri referred to handing over of flats to slum residents at Kalkaji Extension by Prime Minister Narendra Modi this month and said similar projects were under construction at Jailorwala Bagh and Kathputli Colony.

“There are 675 slum clusters in Delhi of which 376 are on central government land. The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has completed the survey of 210 of 376 clusters to identify beneficiaries and the remaining work will commence after the municipal elections and will be completed by March 2023. Unfortunately, no work has been done in the 299 slum clusters under the Delhi government,” said Puri days before the December 4 Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) polls.

He hit out at the AAP government for not implementing Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) in Delhi and referred to the regularisation of the unauthorised colonies. “After the MCD elections are over, I will ask our Delhi MPs [members of Parliament] to push for the redevelopment of slums located on Delhi government land. If the state government cannot do it, the Centre will get it done,” said Puri while addressing a joint press conference with Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party MPs.

He said close to 13.5 million people will benefit from the Centre’s in-situ rehabilitation of slums, PM-UDAY for unauthorised colonies, and land pooling for planned development of urban extension areas to address the housing problems in the capital. “Close to a million will benefit from Jahan Jhuggi, Wahan Makan scheme, five million from PM-UDAY and 7.5 million from land pooling policies.”

He said the Centre has proactively worked on redevelopment to cater to the growing requirements and increased the Floor Area Ratio in the Master Plan of Delhi-2041, which will be notified soon, as he sought to reach out to the middle classes in DDA-developed neighbourhoods and group housing societies.

He said the technical hurdles in the implementation of land pooling policies in urbanised villages will be addressed. “We have taken all the necessary measures. An amendment to the Delhi Development Act will be tabled in the next session of Parliament so that the land pooling policy can be implemented.”