Delhi Slum Rehabilitation Bill Seeks Wider Housing Access
Delhi is moving to widen the legal framework for slum rehabilitation, with a proposed amendment seeking to bring newer Jhuggi-Jhopri clusters within the city’s housing and redevelopment system. The move could expand access to rehabilitation for thousands of households while shifting the focus of redevelopment towards housing security, basic services and planned urban growth.
The proposed Delhi Slum Rehabilitation Bill would revise the eligibility framework for settlements covered by the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB). The change is intended to address a long-standing gap in which residents of newer clusters could fall outside established rehabilitation provisions because their settlements emerged after the existing eligibility threshold. The proposed framework also gives greater scope for different forms of redevelopment. Private participation and slum cooperative societies could be involved in projects, alongside public agencies. Funding for replacement housing could draw not only on government and DUSIB resources but also on contributions linked to landowners and residents, depending on the project structure. For Delhi’s housing market, the significance extends beyond the number of households covered. Bringing informal settlements into a formal redevelopment process can create opportunities to improve access to water, sanitation, drainage, roads and other essential services.
It can also reduce the infrastructure deficit that often develops where settlements grow faster than municipal services. Recent policy decisions have already moved the eligibility cut-off for Delhi’s rehabilitation framework to 1 January 2025, expanding the potential pool of beneficiaries. Public reporting has estimated that the revised framework could cover about 20 lakh people across roughly 675 JJ clusters, although actual eligibility remains subject to surveys and other conditions. The Delhi Slum Rehabilitation Bill also matters from an urban-planning perspective because redevelopment does not necessarily have to mean relocation. The proposed approach allows for rehabilitation, relocation or in-situ upgrading, where a settlement is improved at its existing location with the consent of the landowner. That distinction can affect commuting patterns, access to livelihoods and the social stability of communities.
For the city, the next test will be implementation. Clear beneficiary identification, transparent land arrangements, adequate social infrastructure and timely delivery of homes will determine whether expanded eligibility translates into better living conditions. A wider Delhi Slum Rehabilitation Bill framework can support more inclusive urban development, but its impact will ultimately depend on how housing, services and livelihood needs are integrated into redevelopment projects.
