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Days after the Center excluded ‘Will’ as a mandatory document to get ownership of property in unauthorized colonies under the PM-UDAY scheme, residents of these colonies that fall under the ‘O zone’ according to the Master Plan of Delhi-2021 have urged the government to expedite the mechanism to process their applications.
The O Zone refers to the land planning zone which encompasses the Yamuna floodplains, where the National Green Tribunal has decreed a status quo. The Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) recently simplified the documentation process under the PM-UDAY programme. The ministry has approved the proposal to exclude “Will” as a mandatory document and allow submission of Registered Gift Deed in place of General Power of Attorney (GPA) for availing benefits under the scheme, according to a senior DDA official.
While residents of notified unauthorized colonies can now get their applications processed easily, there are close to 76 colonies, including Jaitpur, Badarpur, Okhla, Karawal Nagar, etc, where residents are unable to apply for ownership of their properties.
The Pradhan Mantri Unauthorized Colonies in Delhi Awas Adhikar Yojana (PM-UDAY) scheme was announced in 2019 after the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorized Colonies) Act, 2019 came into effect. But in 2020, the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) stopped the process to do a survey in these 76-odd unauthorized colonies as these were falling in the ‘O zone’ as per MPD-2021.
“The government is simplifying the process to help more residents to get ownership rights. We want the DDA and the central government to bring in amendments to help us. We have waited for very long,” said Anil Sharma, a resident of Meetapur village near Badarpur who has formed an association to push for denotification of the colony from O zone.
A senior DDA official said, “The applications of these colonies will be processed only after necessary amendment is notified in the master plan. In the draft MPD-2041, necessary amendments have been made. But we can’t process the applications right now.”
The DDA started the process to give ownership rights to residents of unauthorised colonies in December 2019. In January 2020, the first batch of 20 residents was given ownership rights under the PM-UDAY scheme. According to DDA officials, till July 15, 2022, 105,076 applications have been received of which 41, 143 have been disposed of.
“Conveyance deed or authorisation slip (which is given to residents of colonies that are located on government land) has been issued to 14,705 residents,” said a DDA official. Close to 62,700 applications have been returned due to lack of necessary supporting documents.
DDA officials said that there are close to 2,000 applications that are pending due to the Will document. “The recent amendments in the scheme will speed up the process of disposal of cases and will facilitate in simplification of the process and increase the number of applications,” said a senior official.
