The National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second (Amendment) Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by the Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs, Hardeep Puri, on December 22, 2017. The Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on December 27, 2017 and by the Rajya Sabha on December 28, 2017 and it was given President’s assent on December 31, 2017.
The Act amends the National Capital Territory of Delhi Laws (Special Provisions) Second Act, 2011, that prohibited action by any local authority till December 31, 2017 against encroachment or unauthorised development as of January 1, 2006, unauthorised colonies and villages that existed on March 31, 2002 and where construction took place till February 8, 2017.
According to the official sources, the extension beyond December 2017 was required because the Delhi government, the Delhi Development Authority and the three municipal corporations in the city were yet to finalise policies and strategies to carry out redevelopment.
As per the amended Act, no punitive action will be taken against some unauthorised colonies in Delhi till 2020. It protects slums and unauthorised colonies in the national capital region from punitive action till December 31, 2020 by extending the deadline for relocating slum dwellers, and jhuggi-jhopri clusters, regulating street vendors, abadi areas in NCT Delhi. Without this extension of time, the law would have lapsed on December 31, 2017.