Punjab government's bonanza for slum dwellers
Around 60,000 slum dwellers across the state will get much-needed basic amenities and proprietary rights, following the enactment of 'The Punjab Slum Dwellers (Proprietary Rights) Act, 2020' by the Punjab government led by Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh.
According to an official spokesperson, the legislation will transform the urban slum areas, thus promoting sustainable growth of the cities. The spokesperson underlined the importance of the Act for the needs of the slum dwellers.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government had decided to bring in the legislation to ensure the civic amenities for slum dwellers instead of opting for the costly process of evicting them through the legal process, the spokesperson added. Currently, approximately 60,000 slum dwellers are living in 89 slums in 29 cities in the state.
The spokesperson stated that the legislation would go a long way in ensuring inclusive growth of the slum dwellers besides upgrading the infrastructure in the urban areas. Adding, the spokesperson said that the new law would entitle the slum dwellers occupying land in a slum in any urban area to being settled in the land occupied by him. If it was not possible to ensure his/her settlement on the land, the slum dweller would be settled on an alternate land, as identified by the state government.
The spokesperson added that "Following their settlement, the slum dwellers would get proprietary right to the land after the concerned municipalities adopt the legislation through a resolution." "In accordance with the Act, the proprietary rights of the land to slum dwellers shall be inheritable but not transferable for 30 years," he added.
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According to this Act, the proprietary rights of the land shall be transferred in the joint name of both spouses if the marriage has taken place. Further, if the land, currently occupied by slum dwellers, belongs to the Government or its statutory Board or Corporation, then they may be settled on the same after the consent of the government.
-PTC News
