New Delhi: In a major push to rehabilitate the city’s slum dwellers, Delhi govt Thursday notified a new housing policy to provide permanent homes to nearly 5 lakh eligible families, benefiting around 20 lakh people across the capital, said chief minister Rekha Gupta.The Delhi Slum and Jhuggi Jhopri Relocation and Rehabilitation Policy, 2026, promises 1-BHK flats to eligible families living in settlements built before Jan 1, 2025, prioritising on-site rehabilitation or relocation within 3km. The policy, notified days before Diwali, also provides separate flats for independent families living on different floors of the same dwelling, ensures ground-floor priority for families with persons with disabilities, and temporary accommodation for residents during redevelopment.Gupta emphasised that the policy’s goal is to provide permanent, secure homes for families to build a better future, rather than just clearing slums. “By extending rehabilitation benefits to settlements established before Jan 1, 2025, the new rehabilitation framework includes many families previously left out of older schemes,” said the chief minister.Eligible slum dwellers will be provided alternative housing, with in-situ rehabilitation given priority at the existing sites or within 3km radium of their current settlements. “The move is intended to ensure that families remain close to their workplaces, schools, and daily necessities,” said CM.The residential complexes will feature 1-BHK flats alongside essential social infrastructure, including schools, Anganwadis, healthcare centers, and playgrounds developed as per local planning regulations.Under a PPP model, the govt will partner with private developers to build the flats, allowing them to use the remaining slum land for commercial and planned development.Independent families living on different floors of the same dwelling qualify for separate flats, provided each household meets the eligibility and documentation rules.To ensure accessibility and security, families with persons with disabilities will receive priority for ground-floor flats, while all units for married couples will be allotted jointly to safeguard both spouses’ rights.The govt will maintain the complexes’ shared infrastructure, services and security for five years post-allotment, after which beneficiary associations will take over managing the common facilities of the residential complexes.CMO said that flats will be allotted via a computerised draw, with grievance redressal and appeal mechanisms. A centralised GIS-based platform will monitor projects, beneficiaries and allotments to prevent duplication, while developers must provide temporary transit housing or rent assistance during construction.“Poor and hardworking families living in Delhi have made a significant contribution to the development and growth of the national capital and they have an equal right to a dignified life and secure housing. A family living in a slum deserves a better future that every citizen aspires to,” the CM said.
