Delhi govt plans slum rehab policy with shopping complexes, e-rickshaw charging

The Delhi government plans to provide slum dwellers modern facilities such as shopping complexes, parking spaces and e-rickshaw charging points under a new slum rehabilitation and resettlement policy being prepared, a source said.

Facilities under consideration include schools, Jan Suvidha Kendras, and dedicated sanitation arrangements for women, according to the government’s proposed policy plan. The source said the policy is in the final stage and will likely be finalised this month.

The government also plans to extend the eligibility cut-off date under the existing policy by around 10 years from January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2025, making many slum dwellers eligible for permanent housing, he said.

There are around 750 slum clusters in Delhi.

Nearly half are located on land owned by central government agencies such as the Railways, the Land and Development Office (L&DO), and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), which acts as the nodal agency for their rehabilitation.

The remaining slums are situated on land owned by the Delhi government, where rehabilitation is overseen by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB) under the Urban Development Department.

Currently, slum rehabilitation in the national capital is governed by the Delhi Slum and Jhuggi Jhopri Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2015, which prioritises rehabilitation by providing alternative accommodation at the same site or within a 5 km radius.

A slum dweller must pay between Rs 1.12 lakh and Rs 1.41 lakh for a 25 square metre housing unit, plus Rs 30,000 for five years of maintenance. Since 2008, the Delhi government, through DUSIB and the Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructural Development Corporation, has constructed 52,584 flats in Dwarka, Sultanpuri, Bhalswa-Jahangirpuri, Savda Ghevra, Pooth Khurd and Tikri Kalan to rehabilitate slum dwellers.