National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws Amendment Bill, 2014 passed by Parliament

The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Amendment Bill, 2014 has been passed by Parliament. The Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha today. It has already been passed by the Lok Sabha on 16.12.14.

The Bill seeks to extend the validity of the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011 upto 31.12.17. As per the provisions of the said Act of 2011, orderly arrangements had to be made for relocation or rehabilitation of slum dwellers and Jhuggi-Jhopri clusters; regulation of street vendors; regularization of unauthorized colonies, village abadi areas and their extensions and existing farm houses; regularization of schools, dispensaries, religious and cultural institutions, storages, warehouses and godowns built on agricultural land; redevelopment of existing godown clusters and building regulations for Special Areas.

While progress has been made in evolving the policies, norms and strategies towards implementation of the Act, more time is needed to bring in orderly arrangements keeping in view the current ground realities in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. Further, the norms, policies and guidelines for unauthorized developments, including complexities in regularizing unauthorized colonies, may also need to be appropriately modified to bring them in conformity with revised MPD-2021. The review of MPD 2021 is likely to be completed in early 2015.

The objective of the extension of time is not only to protect certain forms of unauthorized developments from punitive action in the National Capital Territory of Delhi but also to provide for opportunity to the Government agencies to finalize the norms, policy guidelines and feasible strategies as well as the orderly implementation of the plan in this regard.

The Bill seeks orderly arrangements pursuant to guidelines and regulations for regularization of unauthorized colonies, village abadi areas (including urban villages) and their extensions, as existed on the 31st day of March 2002, and where construction took place even beyond date and upto 1st June, 2014.

The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011 is due to expire on 31st December 2014.