Delhi: How poll plot thickens around illegal colonies

NEW DELHI: The regularisation of 1,731 unauthorised colonies in Delhi will be a pivotal subject in the campaign for the 2020 assembly polls in the capital. While Narendra Modi and the central government have cleared the grant of ownership rights in these colonies, the quality of life there is also unlikely to be discounted. So in the pre-poll period, two narratives are unfolding in the illegal habitations: Arvind Kejriwal’s pro-poor initiatives and Modi’s promise of deed rights.The third contender, Congress, is also mulling its options on the matter.

Amid the clogged drains and dirt-strewn lanes, hoardings and posters hail BJP for the central legislation to transfer ownership of land to the colony dwellers. There is goodwill for the PM in these localities, but there is also appreciation for the Aam Aadmi Party’s initiatives such as subsidised power and water, free bus rides for women, mohalla clinics, visible improvement in school infrastructure and fully paid pilgrimages for senior citizens.
Sangam Vihar’s Mangal Bazaar Road is virtually under sewage water for months now. “This has doomed our business,” said a dry fruit vendor. In the same breath, his neighbour, shop owner Ramesh Lal, displayed his electricity bill and said, “But at least I don’t have to pay a paisa for power this month. Kejriwal has done a lot for the poor.”
In parts of Badarpur, Tughlaqabad, Deoli, and Sangam Vihar assembly constituencies people are enthusiastic about Kejriwal on this count, though they still have grouses about the uncollected garbage, broken roads, water supply and other amenities. However, for the 40 lakh people living in these 1,731 colonies, these daily woes pale somewhat when compared with the security of being owners of their own houses. Dushant Kumar, RWA member of Badarpur’s Hari Nagar Extension, claimed that people in these colonies lived in terror of their houses being razed or sealed. “Shelter matters more to people than anything else. People spend their life savings to build a house but don’t get peace or security,” said Kumar.
In this fear, BJP seems to have found the opportunity to take on AAP. After the Lok Sabha passed the bill on ownership rights, Delhi Development Authority, which reports to the Centre, will launch a website on December 16 on which residents can apply for ownership rights. After due process and verification, people can go to DDA kiosks and get their conveyance deed on paying a nominal property rights conferment charge. The role of Delhi government follows. The conveyance deeds can be used to apply for registration of holdings through the revenue department offices in 11 districts of Delhi.
The ownership rights promise to take people in these colonies from fear to confidence. Referring to the current practices, the president of a Sangam Vihar RWA, who requested anonymity, alleged, “If we want to start a 1,000 sq ft construction, the authorities seek a bribe of Rs 1 lakh and those who refuse to pay up can watch their houses pulled down.
The assembly polls, residents of four illegal colonies in south Delhi said, is an opportunity to be rid of financial burdens like bribes. Registry documents will help avoid exploitation by the authorities, they said. Bimla Raj of the Lal Kuan locality in Tughlaqabad put it in perspective when she said, “Ownership rights will be the main issue in the elections. Registration documents will assist us to avail loans on their property. We can then start businesses, knowing we are free of the terror of being thrown out of our houses. Vijay Prajapati of Chhuriya Mohalla nodded animatedly in agreement.
Since the ownership bill was passed in the Lok Sabha, many attribute the action to Modi. Others credit Kejriwal, saying the pressure he exerted forced the PM into taking the step. Both, therefore, could benefit in the assembly polls to some measure.
BJP and AAP have been sparring about the matter, with Kejriwal insisting on the importance of the registry process while claiming that the Centre cleared the proposal originally passed by the Delhi cabinet in 2015. BJP, for its part, has been painting Modi as the mover behind the long-awaited act.