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CASE STUDIES
the rural hinterland. Some of of notified land continued gradually the colony got
the colonies were located close through other arrangements regularized. Figure 1 shows
to the refugee resettlements, such as gifting away the plot the growth of unauthorised
taking advantage of existing (Banerjee, 1994). colonies in Delhi over the
infrastructure and lax years.
government control over land In most cases the ‘colonizers’
on humanitarian grounds, were the developers and In 2008 based on Government
while others were located property dealers who would of NCT of Delhi’s directive of
along major access routes, buy agricultural land from ‘Regulation for Regularization
for easier commuting to local farmers. They would of Unauthorized colonies’,
workplaces (Dupont, 2005). then subdivide it and sell 1639 colonies applied for
In 1961 the government the smaller plots at cheaper regularization based on
introduced a scheme for rates to new buyers. The certain parameters and cut
large scale acquisition and new buyers would make off dates, out of which 1218
development of land in temporary makeshift colonies received “Provisional
Delhi of around 30,000 acres. structures to occupy the land. Regularisation Certificates”
However due to slow and Meanwhile road networks (PRCs). Further, in September
lengthy process only 10,000 and boundary walls were 2012, a GNCTD order found
acres could be developed by built by the developer and 895 of them to be eligible for
1978. Moreover, there was illegal electricity was also regularisation of which 312
a huge shortage of housing arranged for. Overtime the colonies that were on private
especially for the lower colony got improvised. land were considered to be
income group. Inadequacy Sewers and drains were de facto regularized whereas
in land development coupled mostly non-existent and by the remaining 583 colonies
with shortage of housing units the time city officials become that were partly or wholly
aggravated the proliferation aware of the existence of such on public land would be
of unauthorized colonies on a colony, it acted as a thriving regularised after the cost of
agricultural land where the sub system with families land on which they stood had
land prices were low to begin living and going about their
with. Since major chunks daily lives. Eviction no longer been recovered by the Delhi
of land were notified for remained an option under Government (Sheikh and
acquisition by DDA, to evade humanitarian grounds and Banda, 2014).
lengthy procedures of land Figure 1: Growth of Unauthorized colonies in Delhi
acquisition and coping with
inadequate compensation, 2000 1797
it was more profitable 1639
to subdivide plots and 1500
transfer the land notified for 1071
acquisition on General Power 1000 567
of Attorney to prospective 500 334
buyers looking for affordable 110 101
shelter. In order to ban such 0
practices, the Delhi Lands upto 1961 1961-1967 1967-1971 1971-1977 1977-1993 1993- 2008 2008-2018
(Restrictions on Transfer) Act
was enforced in June 1972 Source: Mehra, P. (2014), Unauthorized colonies in Delhi, Unpublished
(Dupont, 2005). Yet, transfers Thesis, SPA, New Delhi
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