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The Rajya Sabha on Tuesday passed the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill, 2023 through a voice vote.
The Bill, which seeks to extend the validity of a central act addressing unauthorised colonies and slum relocation, was earlier passed by the Lok Sabha. The Bill amends the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011. The Act protects unauthorised development and encroachment by specified persons in the Union Territory of Delhi from punitive action. These include slum dwellers, hawkers, unauthorised colonies, schools, religious and cultural institutions, and agricultural godowns. It requires the central government to take certain measures to address these issues. These include finalising norms, policy guidelines, and strategies, and making orderly arrangements for relocation and rehabilitation. The bill, which extends the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act's validity from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026, aims to provide continued protection from punitive action for various unauthorised developments in the National Capital Territory of Delhi. This includes slum dwellers, hawkers, unauthorised colonies, schools, religious and cultural institutions, and agricultural godowns. The government argues that the complexities involved in addressing unauthorised constructions necessitate an extension. "There is a need for continuing the protection from punitive action granted to certain forms of unauthorized developments in the National Capital Territory of Delhi," the statements and objectives of the bill state. It points out ongoing processes, including the finalisation of development control norms and the Master Plan for Delhi-2041, which encompasses measures for unauthorised developments. This move has not been without criticism, with opposition members arguing that the pushing back of deadlines is a stopgap measure rather than a policy-based solution. The housing affairs minister, however, defended the legislation in the parliament's lower house today, saying that the act's validity needed to be extended for another three years or the vulnerable population of Delhi would be "liable for ceiling, demolition and displacement". The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011, which was initially valid until December 31, 2014, has seen many extensions. The most recent amendment, passed in 2021, extended it until December 31, 2023, and now the recent Lok Sabha approval extends it further until December 31, 2026. (ANI)
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