New Delhi: Delhi govt Monday introduced a bill in the assembly seeking to advance the statutory cut-off date for recognising jhuggi jhopri (JJ) clusters by nearly two decades, a move that seeks to bring newer slum settlements within the ambit of rehabilitation and redevelopment schemes.The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (Amendment) Bill, 2026 tabled by urban development minister Ashish Sood, sought to amend the DUSIB Act, 2010, by replacing the cut-off date of Jan 1, 2006, with Jan 1, 2025 for identifying a slum cluster as a JJ basti.Under the existing law, a cluster can be recognised as a JJ basti if it has at least 50 households and meets the prescribed conditions, including having been in existence as of Jan 1, 2006. The proposed amendment will extend the eligibility period by 19 years, bringing settlements established during this period under the statutory framework, subject to the 50-household threshold.The amendment is required to ensure consistency between DUSIB Act and Delhi Slum and Jhuggi Jhopri Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2026, and to provide legal foundation in identifying JJ bastis eligible for rehabilitation and relocation.The bill states that the 2026 policy was framed to provide a “contemporary and realistic framework” for the relocation and rehabilitation of eligible slum-dwellers. The amendment is, therefore, intended to provide the legal backing required to implement the policy and facilitate the redevelopment of settlements, it adds.An official said the change could significantly expand the number of JJ clusters eligible for govt intervention. Under sections 10, 11 and 12 of DUSIB Act, the board is required to prepare resettlement schemes and provide basic amenities, such as toilets, water supply, drainage and paved lanes.Currently, Delhi has 675 officially recognised JJ clusters, although officials estimate the actual number to be about 750, with several settlements coming up after 2015. The JJ clusters are home to thousands of working-class people, such as drivers, domestic workers, vegetable vendors and auto-rickshaw operators, many of whom form an integral part of the city’s informal economy.The expansion of the statutory eligibility window is also expected to increase govt’s financial obligations towards rehabilitation, relocation, basic civic infrastructure and redevelopment.
