A significant number of additional jhuggi-jhopri settlements across Delhi could soon become eligible for rehabilitation schemes, after the Delhi government proposed to push back the cut-off date used to identify such clusters. The date, earlier fixed at January 1, 2006, would now move to January 1, 2025 under a new bill introduced in the Delhi Assembly.The Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (Amendment) Bill, 2026, was tabled in the Assembly on Monday to amend the DUSIB Act, 2010. Under the current law, a jhuggi-jhopri basti is defined, among other things, as a settlement with at least 50 households existing on January 1, 2006.With the amendment, settlements that came up between 2006 and 2025 could now be considered for rehabilitation and relocation, subject to other conditions. It also allows private companies or slum cooperatives to take part in redevelopment projects.The bill also notes that changing the cut-off date could bring more settlements under the definition of a jhuggi-jhopri basti. This, in turn, would increase the financial burden on the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board (DUSIB).Under the bill, DUSIB can prepare plans to remove jhuggi-jhopri bastis and rehabilitate residents. Its financial memorandum states that such relocation would need funds from both the Delhi government and DUSIB, along with contributions from landowners and jhuggi dwellers towards the cost of new houses.The bill also requires DUSIB to improve basic facilities in these settlements, including toilets, bathing areas, drainage, water supply and paved streets.With the landowner’s consent, DUSIB can also plan for rehabilitation, relocation, or in-situ upgradation, meaning the settlement is improved where it already stands, without residents having to move.
