In a virtual poll eve bonanza to the state’s farming community, the Sheila Dikshit-led Congress Government in Delhi on Saturday gave its nod to the farmers to construct houses on the land belonging to them.
And the move by the state government would come as a huge relief to the over 80,000 farmers, who had been booked on charges of violating Section 81 of the Delhi Land Reforms(DLR)Act.
Dikshit, who announced the all-important decision at a Grameen Vikas Rally (Rural Development rally) here, said that the Cabinet had taken a decision which would provide relief to the large number of villages from Section 81 of the DRL Act which was hindering development and prosperity.
According to the Chief Minister, the state government, which has been providing relief to the several lakh residents of unauthorised colonies by regularising them, cannot afford to deprive the same to the villagers.
A communiqué from the CM’s Office said the state government would withdraw the cases filed against the farmers for violating Section 81 of the Delhi Land Reforms Act.
Dikshit said the Act had since become somewhat irrelevant since it was enacted over half a century ago.
The state Cabinet decided to exempt provisions of the Section 81 to an area, which is urbanised by way of notification under the DMC Act, and areas falling within the boundaries of unauthorised regularised colonies, buildings in respect of which building plans have been sanctioned by the competent authority or permission granted under Amendment of Master Plan, housing sites allotted under the 20-point Programme or in extended abadi as defined under the DRL Act.
Earlier, experts were of the view that the utility of Section 81 of DRL Act, 1954 has been restricted owing to the rapid and increasing urbanisation of Delhi, the alterations made to the master plan and the subsequent regularisation of the unauthorised colonies.