SHIVANI SINGH

Last week, when the Supreme Court ordered an immediate stay on all constructions in 1,797 unauthorised colonies that were not in conformity with the building bylaws, it was trying to enforce what the authorities should have all along.

Each time the government attempted to regularise any residential settlements that were built either in violation of zoning regulations or on agricultural land, it justified the move as a final compromise which would never be repeated. But despite three BIG regularisation drives and a fourth one in the offing, Delhi’s unauthorised colonies have only grown in numbers and size.

Fifty-six years ago, Delhi had 110 unauthorised colonies, housing nearly 2,21,000 people. Today, it has 1,797 of them. According to the Economic Survey of Delhi, at least 5.6 million Delhi residents live in slums, illegal colonies, crumbling urban villages and dilapidated buildings.

The Delhi Development Authority, the sole developer of affordable public housing, has consistently fallen short of the ever-growing demand, forcing the working class to seek alternatives illegally.

Over the decades, an estimated one-third of the city’s population has found unauthorised addresses.

With such huge numbers involved, demolition of homes and uprooting people was never an option. Regularisation drives are seen to be steps towards recognising the rights of the economically backward to proper housing.