The Hindu 20.12.2011
Action plan to make Capital slum-free by 2015 approved
The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board on Monday
approved an action plan to make Delhi a slum free city by 2015 and
decided to take up phase-wise relocation of a large number of clusters.
It also announced the decision to allot 1,400 flats in January as part
of the first phase of its relocation plan.
At a
meeting chaired by Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, the Board decided to
begin allotment of residential units to jhuggi-jhonpri dwellers from
January.
Following the meeting, Ms. Dikshit said
DUSIB has been told to immediately start allotment of flats as per
relocation plan of J.J. clusters. She asked the Board to initiate the
process as the cut-off date has been changed from 2002 to 2007, the
clusters for relocation have been identified and work related to
identification of beneficiaries was also moving at a rapid pace.
The
Chief Minister said it has been decided that allotment letters would be
issued in the next month in case of 1,400 beneficiaries putting up in
13 clusters out of 46 clusters identified earlier for this purpose.
As
for the financial burden on the beneficiaries, she said, those
belonging to the Scheduled Caste category would be given the flats free
of cost as their component amounting to Rs.60,000 would be paid by the
Delhi Government.
The beneficiary contribution in
respect of cut off date up to 2002 was decided at Rs.60,000 whereas for
those falling in the 2002 to 2007 cut-off period, the amount was fixed
at Rs.1,22,000.
Ms. Dikshit also told the Board to
continue allotment of flats in a phase-wise manner to relocate maximum
number of clusters. “This will benefit J.J. dwellers as they will have
their dream flat in a developed locality and they will be relieved of
putting up in congested and somewhat unhygienic conditions,” she
said.The Board also approved an action plan to make Delhi a slum-free
city by 2015. Noting that Delhi’s Slum Relocation Policy is the most
liberal one, the Board said it will take up phase-wise relocation of a
large number of clusters after an interval of six months duration.
It
was pointed out that of the 685 J.J. clusters in Delhi, 352 had come up
on Delhi Development Authority land and 333 on the land of various
Departments under the Delhi Government. The Board will first concentrate
on relocation of the 333 clusters, whereas DDA, Railways and Central
Public Works Department will be urged to take up relocation work as per
guidelines of the DUSIB.
In the Board meeting, the
need to strengthen DUSIB was also stressed since the department had come
up as a separate entity after transfer of slum department from the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi to the Delhi Government.
The
Delhi Government has also decided to give a financial support to
strengthen the Board to make it efficient for taking up the work
relating to relocation of slums.
The Board will carry
out repair works in slum rehabilitation scheme colonies and for this an
amount of Rs.85 crore has been sanctioned. While out of this Rs. 27
crore will be utilised by the Delhi Jal Board and Rs.9 crore by the
power distribution companies, DUSIB will spend the rest on its own.
