UD approves conversion of refugee colonies to freehold: SDMC

Union Urban Development Ministry has started the process to convert the refugee colonies in the national capital from leasehold to freehold, after a gap of 60 years, civic officials said today.
A delegation, comprising officials from all three municipal corporations led by Leader of the House in South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), Subhash Arya met the Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu to press for people's demands from such colonies to sanction building plans in those flats.
Land and Development Office (L&DO) under the urban development ministry had allotted flats on lease in these refugees colonies after Independence, from year 1955 to 1965.

The flats are built in 107 to 120 yards area and single- storeyed. L&DO has started the procedure to freehold these flats, Arya said.
Under this policy property owners can construct five floors (including parking) in these colonies, he said.
Representatives from all three corporations had taken up this demand to the minister and with his (Naidu's) approval we are implementing this policy, Arya said in a statement.

The erstwhile unified Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), established in 1958 and it was trifurcated into North Delhi Municipal Corporation (NDMC), South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) and East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) in 2012.

While the North and East corporations so far have not made any announcements in this regard for areas under their jurisdiction, but officials said, the policy change would just have to be notified in the respective municipal houses to implement it for them.
Arya meanwhile said the SDMC has already made a policy to sanction building plans in 46 refugees colonies. And citizens can also apply online for building plans on the corporation's website, he added.
"If ground floor and the first floor of a particular flat belongs to one particular family, they can do construction work after taking approval. If different families occupy ground and first floors, they can chart a plan mutually and get it passed," he said.

"Sanction of building plans is to be according to the terms and conditions of residential plot of MPD (Master Plan Delhi) 2021," he added.
Arya said there are almost 15,000 of flats of this type in different refugee colonies of Delhi which are mainly located in Ramesh Nagar, Patel Nagar, Tilak Nagar, Lajpat Nagar and Jungpura, among others.
Chairman, Standing Committee of the NDMC, Mohan Bhardwaj said, "This initiative for all the three civic bodies was led by Arya. The refugee colonies under our jurisdiction include areas like the Kingsway Camp, Ramesh Nagar, Patel Nagar among others.