The Delhi government’s renewed push to regularise over 1,500 unauthorised colonies has sparked hope for better infrastructure, regulated construction, and secure ownership among residents despite gaps in basic services. 

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on April 7 that 1,511 of Delhi’s 1,731 unauthorised colonies will be regularised on an “as-is, where-is” basis. The move relaxes norms such as layout plan approvals, a major hurdle in the 2019 PM-UDAY policy. Residents can apply for regularisation certificates from April 24 after securing ownership documents, making nearly 45 lakh people eligible to redevelop properties, access loans, and seek building approvals. 

While many residents see this as a step towards legal ownership, others remain wary due to the limited success of earlier policies. In Sangam Vihar, one of Delhi’s largest unauthorised colonies, narrow lanes and densely packed multi-storey houses, built on 300-500 sq. ft. plots, rise up to four storeys. Rekha Devi, 52, who lives in a three-storey house with her family, said on Thursday that basic services are still unreliable. “We depend on borewell water shared by over a hundred houses. Our turn comes once in three days, sometimes even once a week,” she said. 

Sewer lines and water pipelines from Sonia Vihar Water Treatment Plant have been laid but are not functional while a recently installed PNG pipeline is yet to be operational.  

Cautious optimism

Her neighbour Gulshan, who has lived there for four decades, pointed to worsening conditions during the monsoon. “Drains overflow and we wade through knee-deep water. There are no active sewer lines,” she said. Despite these issues, residents say the announcement has brought a sense of relief. Many hope regularisation will finally lead to functioning infrastructure such as water supply, drainage, and roads. 

Vikash Lal, a retired government employee, was supervising the addition of another floor to his house. He has registered his property but was unaware of the PM-UDAY scheme, like many others. 

Construction remains rampant across the colonies. To regulate growth, the Delhi Development Authority and the Municipal Corporation of Delhi plan to set up encroachment cells. Officials said drone surveys are under way, expected to be completed within weeks, to map existing structures and define colony boundaries. 

In Deoli, Geeta Devi, who moved from Uttar Pradesh for her children’s education, said unauthorised colonies remain the only affordable option. “There are issues but migrants like us have limited options,” she said. 

Although around 40,000 conveyance deeds have been issued under PM-UDAY, progress has been slow due to missing layout plans. Earlier efforts also saw limited success with provisional certificates issued but they were never ratified. 

Excluded colonies 

Even as over a thousand colonies are included, many remain outside the scheme, particularly those in forest and ridge zones, the Yamuna floodplains, and near protected monuments. Sixty-nine “affluent” colonies such as Sainik Farm, Freedom Fighters Enclave, and parts of Chattarpur are also excluded. 

Hardeep Singh Bhalla, president of Sainik Farm’s Western Avenue Resident Welfare Association, said, “Nearly five lakh people live across 69 colonies. We pay house tax and other charges but still don’t have basic services like sewer lines. One must ask why there is no policy for us?” He also alleged corruption. “While construction is ongoing, agencies remain quiet. Once houses are built, demands for money begin,” Mr. Bhalla said, adding many such colonies had received provisional registration numbers under the earlier policy of 2008 but were excluded from regularisation. 

In Jaitpur Extension, which falls in the Yamuna floodplains, Sushil Yadav said he has avoided applying for ownership documents. “There is no guarantee this will protect us from demolition,” he said. 

Ms. Gupta has said excluded colonies will be taken up in phases, but no timeline has been announced, leaving many residents waiting for clarity.