New Delhi: The Center on Tuesday relaxed norms for regularizing residential properties and small convenience shops (up to 20 sq m) in 1,511 unauthorized colonies in Delhi on “as is where is” criteria. Residents of these properties can now get building plans prepared by any architect empaneled by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi and apply to the civic body to obtain ownership rights.Announcing major changes in the norms, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal said properties will be regularized without the need for approved layout plans, a move that will speed up regularization of properties in such colonies, bringing relief to over 10 lakh families living in these settlements. These announcements were made in the presence of CM Rekha Gupta.Earlier, it was mandatory to have an approved layout plan of the area to apply for regularization.

Although the Center had envisaged regularizing these colonies in its 2019 rules and subsequently the PM-Unauthorized Colonies in Delhi Housing Rights Scheme (PM-UDAY) on an “as is where is” basis after approval of layout plans, the absence of approved layout plans has been a major hurdle, the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs said in a statement.Till the end of March, barely 40,000 conveyance deeds/authorization slips have been issued under PM-UDAY.Gupta said that although there are 1,731 unauthorized colonies in Delhi, those in O zone (Yamuna flood plain), forest/ridge areas and otherwise outside the scope of the scheme have not been included. Besides this, 69 affluent unauthorized colonies like Sainik Farm, Mahendru Enclave, Anant Ram Dairy and Bhavani Kunj have also been excluded.As per the new norms, the Revenue Department of the Delhi government, and not the DDA, will now issue the conveyance deed for ownership rights. The Union Minister said that MCD will conduct drone survey every two months to detect any new small construction. “To ensure that no further unauthorized construction or expansion takes place in these colonies, we have strengthened the enforcement wing of the MCD and Delhi Development Authority,” he said.The civic body will issue ‘certificates of regularization’ and also conduct a survey of vacant plots for creation of civic infrastructure.The CM said that under the revised policy, applications for ownership of properties can be filed online through the PM-UDAY portal from April 24. He said that the process of regularization will be expedited with simplified approval process and stipulated time-frame for release of work within 45 days.The last date for consideration for regularization will be 1 June 2014. The minister said the revised policy will cover old buildings in unauthorized colonies while new construction will be required to follow the norms set by the MCD and seek its permission.The updated policy notified on Tuesday states that shops with an area of ​​up to 20 square meters will be regularized if they have access to 6 meters of right of way (RoW). For shops up to 10 square metres, the required RoW may be less than 6m. Responding to a question, D Thara, additional secretary in the housing ministry, said floor-wise regularization would also be allowed.An applicant can log in to the MCD Swagam portal (https://mcdonline.nic.in/swagam) and choose a colony name, ward and zone, which are auto-populated, the ministry said in an official statement. They will have the option to choose whether the PM-Uday case identity is present or not. Those who do not have such ID will have to log in to the PM-UDAY portal.It said that if the conveyance deed or authorization slip has been issued, an application form will be filled, and if not, the application for the status will be redirected to the PM-UDAY portal. After surveying the building structure, processing of applications and issuance of conveyance deed or authorization slip will be done by the Revenue Department in collaboration with DDA. Applications will be accepted on the SWAGAM portal from April 24 for cases where conveyance deed or authorization slip has been issued.In cases of reconstruction or redevelopment, land equal to 50% of the reduction in ROW should be surrendered to achieve minimum access width (6 m internal roads, 9 m access roads). “Floor Area Ratio (FAR) will be calculated on the original plot area but will be used within the reduced plot after surrender. If the existing FAR exceeds the permissible limit, penal charges (three times the additional FAR charges) will be applicable,” the policy says.Delhi CM It described the revised rules as a step that brings “hope, dignity and long-awaited security” to millions of families. The CM office said a clear timeline has been set for the process, including seven days for the GIS survey report, 15 days for removing the deficiencies and a mandatory 45-day deadline for issuing the conveyance deed. It added that the PM-UDAY register will be maintained and regularization certificates will be issued by the MCD.The CM said regularization will help residents take loans on their properties, thereby opening up opportunities for redevelopment and economic empowerment.