A day after the Centre gave its seal of approval to massive commercialisation of Delhi by notifying the new Master Plan, the Union Cabinet on Thursday sanctioned regularisation of some 1,500 unauthorised colonies in an apparent populist move ahead of municipal polls.
The plush neighbourhoods of Sainik Farms, Mahendru Enclave and Anant Ram Dairy, however, have been dropped from the regularisation plan for now, Urban Development Minister S Jaipal Reddy told reporters.
Colonies that are to be regularised will undergo Delhi government verification for the process.
"We also have to go before the High Court for ultimate implementation of regularisation," Reddy said, insisting the move would benefit more than 300,000 people.
The plan covers colonies that have been in existence since March 31, 2002.
Reddy said the regularisation would entail payment of cost of land with some penalty for colonies built on government land.
Rebate is offered to unauthorised colonies equivalent to or part of lower and middle income E, F and G category zones.
Colonies that have come up on private land will not be required to pay cost of land because homeowners there have already made payments to original land owners, Reddy said.
But all colonies will be required to pay development charges to be fixed by the Delhi government, the minister added.
"Proposals for regularisation of affluent colonies will be taken up by the Cabinet later," he said.
The Congress-led government, under fire from the Bharatiya Janata Party and the powerful retailers's lobby for its handling of the sealing crisis, also announced plans to allow commercial activities in unauthorised colonies once they are regularised.
The plan aims to legalise retail shops, schools, healthcare centres running in such colonies in due course.
The government plans to move the High Court to request vacation of its 1993 order over the regularisation exercise.
Reddy also spoke at length about the new 2021 Master Plan for Delhi, admitting it aimed at increasing commercial space in the capital despite objections from resident welfare associations.
In spite of doubts raised by different sections over the feasibility of the new housing proposals for the poor, the minister insisted that using land as a resource as part of slum and JJ cluster rehabilitation plans would be a preferred option.
Developers of group housing will be required to build at least 35 percent of dwelling units or 15 percent of permissible floor area ratio, whichever is higher, for economically-weaker sections.
The minister said plotted housing would now be replaced with group housing as part of the Master Plan.
"Nobody will get an exclusive plot of land (in Delhi) now," he remarked, adding private players will play a key role in Delhi's house building.
Commercial establishments, such as showrooms, along roads less than 80-feet wide in Delhi's industrial areas will have to go as per the Master Plan.
The minister maintained that the MPD 2021 would be subject to five-year review.