Delhi plans to extend PM-Uday application deadline for ownership in unauthorised colonies amid tepid response

The Delhi government is planning to extend the October 31 deadline for residents of 1,511 unauthorised colonies to apply for ownership rights under the PM-Uday scheme, officials said on Monday, citing a tepid response to the initiative.

The PM-Uday scheme was launched in 2019 to confer ownership rights on residents of unauthorised colonies. Following amendments to the rules, the Centre transferred responsibility for implementing the process to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

The scheme aims to grant ownership rights to more than four million residents living in 1,511 unauthorised colonies across the national capital.

The government had set October 31 as the cut-off date in July to encourage residents to apply for regularisation of their properties. In a public notice issued on July 1, the Revenue Department had said no conveyance deed or authorisation slip would be issued for applications received after the deadline.

However, despite several relaxations in the rules and charges, the number of applications received in recent months has remained low, officials said.

“The response has been tepid. We had thought that setting a cut-off date would ensure that people apply. There is a plan to further extend the date for residents to apply under the scheme,” an official aware of the matter said, adding that a decision on the revised deadline was likely soon.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has waived several charges previously levied for regularisation, while the MCD has reduced its charges, allowing property owners to pay only 25% of the applicable amount, officials said.

The response has also been limited to the MCD’s simplified procedure for regularising built-up areas. Only seven applications have been received through the civic body’s portal, and five of them have been rejected due to incomplete documentation. Another 131 applications have been submitted through empanelled architects, according to officials.

Just two new beneficiaries added

Earlier, around 37,000 people had benefited from the PM Uday scheme. However, the MCD has added only two new beneficiaries under the revised process, officials said.

On April 7, Union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal announced that properties in these colonies could be regularised without approved layout plans, easing a key requirement that had complicated the process.

The Centre has also allowed regularisation on an “as is, where is” basis, with land use deemed residential, except for small convenience shops. The latest relaxations were aimed at simplifying the process and making it easier for residents to secure legal ownership of their properties.