Introduction
Amidst the constant threat of eviction, demolition, and displacement faced by many residents of unauthorised colonies in Delhi, the promise of granting ownership rights to unauthorised colonies during both the state and national elections by the BJP seems to be far from reality. The flagship Pradhan Mantri – Unauthorized Colonies in Delhi Awas Yojana (PM-UDAY), which is implemented by the Centre-run Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and its empanelled agencies with the purpose of granting ownership rights to unauthorised colonies in Delhi, has been found to be moving at a snail’s pace in processing the applications for ownership rights, the DDA data reveals. Pertinently, the scheme was introduced in February 2020 following the passage of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (Recognition of Property Rights of Residents in Unauthorised Colonies) Act, 2019, which was passed in the parliament in December 2019.
In a response to the parliamentary question asked by the BJP Lok Sabha MP from South Delhi, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, regarding the “number of people who applied for ownership rights to the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) in unauthorized colonies of Delhi under PM UDAY scheme” and “the number of people conferred with the ownership rights, colony wise?”, the Minister of State (MoS) for Housing and Urban Affairs, Tokhan Sahu, provided the DDA data which reveals that a total of 122,729 applications were received by DDA for ownership rights under PM-UDAY till July 16, 2024 out of which only 23,811 applicants were conferred ownership rights till the said date. This means that despite the buzz about Jahan Jhuggi Wahan Makan, only 1 in 5 applicants have been able to secure ownership rights, with a low success ratio of 1:5.
Furthermore, the scheme excludes “affluent unauthorized colonies” from the ambit of the scheme, thereby excluding 69 such “affluent” colonies. TOI has reported that the scheme has received “tepid” response among the residents owing to bureaucratic red tape and difficulty in meeting the eligibility criteria. Notably, out of around 40 lakh unauthorised residents, only a few lakh residents have applied for the scheme till date.
The parliamentary response may be read here:
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