NEW DELHI: After regularizing hundreds ofunauthorized colonies to woo voters in the election year, the Congress-led Delhi governmentis planning to ease norms under Section 81 of the Land Reforms Act which would help thousands of Delhiites.
The section empowers the government to declare an agricultural plot as waste land if it is used for any other purpose and vest it with the gram sabha. However, a proposal, likely to be tabled before the cabinet soon, seeks to prevent its use under four categories — plots situated in urbanized villages, those having buildings with the municipal corporation's sanctioned plan, those under 20-point programme and those in regularized unauthorized colonies.
Government sources claim that the move aims at curbing misuse of the section as the revenue department has been flooded with complaints from villagers of harassment by officials. However, it will also restrict the government's control in these areas. "The Delhi government will have very restricted control over the land in these areas and the onus of keeping a check on misuse will be on local bodies," said a senior officer.
Real estate consultants defined the attempt as a balancing act in the interest of farmers and urbanization. "It's a pro-urbanization move which should help Delhi in the long run," said Mayank Saksena, managing director, land services, Jones Lang Lasalle, a real estate consulting firm.
Refuting apprehensions that the move might increase unauthorized construction in the colonies, experts said all these areas had already reached their peak of unauthorized construction.
Members of the Delhi Gram Sudhar Mahasabha, who are likely to benefit most from the decision, is sceptical if the plan will actually be approved. "It's a political gimmick. Let's see if it is actually implemented. At least a few thousand villagers enrolled with our association have been fighting litigations or have been forced for an out-of-court settlement due to this act," said Ram Niwas Sehrawat, general secretary of the Mahasabha, a registered body of the city's 360 villages.
However, the government has not proposed amendment to the law and is simply elaborating and clarifying the existing act. "An amendment is a lengthy process for which we will have to send the file to the Centre. For now we are simply explaining the law and its implications by elaborating a few points," said a senior officer.
The government has been under immense pressure from villagers as well as the BJP-led opposition to take action. The BJP in its rallies has promised to scrap the act if elected to power.
The section empowers the government to declare an agricultural plot as waste land if it is used for any other purpose and vest it with the gram sabha. However, a proposal, likely to be tabled before the cabinet soon, seeks to prevent its use under four categories — plots situated in urbanized villages, those having buildings with the municipal corporation's sanctioned plan, those under 20-point programme and those in regularized unauthorized colonies.
Government sources claim that the move aims at curbing misuse of the section as the revenue department has been flooded with complaints from villagers of harassment by officials. However, it will also restrict the government's control in these areas. "The Delhi government will have very restricted control over the land in these areas and the onus of keeping a check on misuse will be on local bodies," said a senior officer.
Real estate consultants defined the attempt as a balancing act in the interest of farmers and urbanization. "It's a pro-urbanization move which should help Delhi in the long run," said Mayank Saksena, managing director, land services, Jones Lang Lasalle, a real estate consulting firm.
Refuting apprehensions that the move might increase unauthorized construction in the colonies, experts said all these areas had already reached their peak of unauthorized construction.
Members of the Delhi Gram Sudhar Mahasabha, who are likely to benefit most from the decision, is sceptical if the plan will actually be approved. "It's a political gimmick. Let's see if it is actually implemented. At least a few thousand villagers enrolled with our association have been fighting litigations or have been forced for an out-of-court settlement due to this act," said Ram Niwas Sehrawat, general secretary of the Mahasabha, a registered body of the city's 360 villages.
However, the government has not proposed amendment to the law and is simply elaborating and clarifying the existing act. "An amendment is a lengthy process for which we will have to send the file to the Centre. For now we are simply explaining the law and its implications by elaborating a few points," said a senior officer.
The government has been under immense pressure from villagers as well as the BJP-led opposition to take action. The BJP in its rallies has promised to scrap the act if elected to power.
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