LS passes bill related to unauthorised buildings

Extends protection for 3 more years till Dec. 2026

THE NATIONAL Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Act, 2023, was passed by a voice vote in the Lok Sabha after a brief discussion in which three members took part

Parliament on Tuesday passed a bill extending protection from punitive action against unauthorised developments in Delhi for three years, beyond the December 31 deadline, till December 2026.

The bill seeks to provide protection to certain forms of unauthorised developments in Delhi from punitive action where adequate measures are yet to be taken.

Earlier in the day, the National Capital Territory Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Act, 2023, was passed by a voice vote in the Lok Sabha after a brief discussion in which three members took part.

In the Upper House, eight members participated in the discussions on the bill and it was passed by a voice vote.

Speaking on the bill in the Rajya Sabha, Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep

Singh Puri said problems in Delhi existed before Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed the responsibility for governance in the country in May 2014 and the problems were due to neglect.

The bill has been under discussion by the Centre since 2019 after the Delhi chief minister sought two more years to complete the work.

“The legislation came into being in 2019. At the beginning of 2020, we were facing the (Covid19) pandemic and during the pandemic of 2020 and 2021, virtually no groundlevel work could be done. There are about 40 lakh people living in these unauthorised colonies. If an average household has four members, then we have to register about 810 lakh households. We have already done four lakh. We need to do more and we need to expedite the transition,” Mr Puri said.

He said people have been coming to Delhi from rural areas and other parts of the country, but the problem was not addressed by the earlier governments.

Mr Puri pointed out that Delhi’s land area has not changed, but the population has gone up from 7-8 lakh in 1947 to around 2.5 crore at present.

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal said the Congress and AAP members did not support the important bill for Delhi, despite being in the House. He said the Congress and AAP members have no place for the poor in their hearts.

AIADMK member M. Thambidurai said the Centre should help solve problems related to slum dwellers not only in Delhi but also in other parts of the country.