Illegal colonies in Delhi set for 3-year safeguard extension

Delhi’s local bodies have initiated the process for recommending another extension of the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act—which essentially grants blanket protection to any illegal construction in unauthorised colonies that came up before June 2014, multiple officials aware of the matter said.In the public notice issued on Friday, the revenue department said no conveyance deed or authorisation slip would be issued for applications received after the cut-off date. (Hindustan Times)The act is likely to be granted another three-year extension before it lapses in December 2026. The development comes at a time when the national capital has witnessed multiple building collapses in the city’s unplanned settlements.A senior municipal official explained that, as part of granting another extension of protection under special laws, reports are sought from the urban local bodies.“We have already submitted our report in this regard, and the act is once again likely to be extended for three years later this year. Parliament will have the final say, but the scale of the problem is such that protection will have to be extended; otherwise, lakhs of buildings will fall under the category for punitive action and demolitions,” the official added.Also Read | DTCP takes action against six illegal coloniesA similar exercise has been undertaken by the New Delhi Municipal Council last month. The extension proposal in this regard argues against developments which were not in consonance with the Master Plan of Delhi and building by-laws.Illegal structures that came up in Delhi before June 2014 are protected from punitive action under the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, passed by Parliament. However, experts argue that the provision, initially meant to remain in force for just one year, has become a loophole and that the government needs to relook at it when the current extension expires in December 2026.The genesis of the regulatory protection dates to February 2006, when the MCD launched a city-wide sealing drive following court orders. The scale of unauthorised construction and other violations was so large that Parliament intervened, with the then UPA government passing the Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Act, 2006.The law initially provided protection against sealing for just one year, but was subsequently extended in 2007, 2009, 2011 and thereafter every three years until 2023. The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Act, 2023, extended protection for unauthorised buildings for another three years, until December 31, 2026.Also Read | Delhi plans to extend PM-Uday application deadline for ownership in unauthorised colonies amid tepid responseEach successive government responded with regularisation schemes, amnesty provisions and special laws that allowed these settlements to remain, while rarely addressing the underlying shortage of planned housing and commercial space. To further add to the protection blanket, on April 7, 2026, the central government announced the regularisation of 1,511 unauthorised colonies in Delhi on an ‘as-is-where-is’ basis, with an estimated population of 4.5 million.A second official said that hardly any applications for the regularisation of properties have been received since April.“Just 137 applications for regularisation of properties were received, and 22 applications have been approved. The fee for regularisation and associated charges have been slashed. We have also initiated a process where people can directly approach independent architects for processing their applications, instead of the MCD. Still, the number remains very low, and the deadline will have to be extended,” the official added.The first official cited above raised concern over the current scheme to regularise vulnerable structures, given the recent incidents of fatal building collapses across the Capital.“Most of these buildings don’t conform to building by-laws, but the as-is-where-is provision leaves the vulnerable structures open for regularisation,” the official said.New PM-UDAY deadlineThere has been slow movement under the Pradhan Mantri Unauthorised Colonies Awas Adhikar Yojana (PM-UDAY), following which the deadline for application has been extended from October 31 to January 31, 2027, as per a notice issued by the revenue department on Friday. As many as 1,511 unauthorised colonies are eligible to be regularised, as announced in April.Official data from the MCD shows that only 137 applications have been submitted by the residents of these colonies, while 22 have been approved. The October 31 deadline was announced by the government in July.Also Read | The dangers of unauthorised construction in the national capitalIn the public notice issued on Friday, the revenue department said no conveyance deed or authorisation slip would be issued for applications received after the cut-off date.The PM-UDAY scheme was launched in 2019 to confer ownership rights on residents of unauthorised colonies. Following amendments to the rules, the Centre transferred responsibility for implementing the process to the MCD. Earlier, around 37,000 people had benefited from the scheme. However, the MCD has added only two new beneficiaries under the revised process.On April 7, Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal announced that properties in these colonies could be regularised without approved layout plans, easing a key requirement that had complicated the process.The Centre has also allowed regularisation on an “as is where is” basis, with land use deemed residential, except for small convenience shops.