Slum dwellers should get property rights, says Maken

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New Delhi, Oct 30: Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Ajay Maken Tuesday said slum dwellers should be given “long term property rights” and that such people should not be rehabilitated at far off places as it affected their livelihood

Taking over his new ministry, Maken said it was his firm opinion that slum dwellers should be vested with long-term property rights “which should also be bankable”.

He said he had directed ministry officials to come up with a draft Model Property Rights Bill for slum dwellers “incorporating mandatory provisions to ensure that slum dwellers are given legal long-term bankable property rights, within a week”.

Maken also said that state governments would be expected to enact their laws based on it within a year “and subsequently pass the legislation to effect it within the subsequent one year”.

“The Rajiv Awas Yojana (RAY) would also have mandatory condition for ensuring that 35 percent of the total dwelling units or 15-20 percent of the Floor Area Ratio whichever is more, are reserved for service providers and economically weaker sections in houses constructed by the government or private builders,” he said.

“Slum dwellers should not be rehabilitated at far off places as it affects their means of livelihood,” the minister said.

“We plan to rehabilitate them in the vicinity of a five-kilometre radius where in situ rehabilitation is not possible,” Maken said.

He was also hopeful of getting Rs.80,000 crore under the 12th Five-Year Plan for the Rajiv Awas Yojana.

Maken said the Street Vendors (Protection of Livelihood and Regulation of Street Vending) Bill, which has been introduced in parliament and was with a Standing Committee, will be expedited. He also said he would try to introduce the Real Estate (Regulation & Development) Bill in the winter session of parliament.

The proposed National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) would be “target-oriented with specific focus on the primary issues relating to urban poverty such as skill up-gradation, entrepreneurship development and employment creation through wage employment and self employment opportunities opened up by the emerging markets in urban areas,” he said.

IANS