Residents of unauthorised colonies to meet PM Modi to thank him for granting ownership rights

A delegation of over 200 people, including BJP MPs from Delhi, will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday afternoon to thank him for the recent decision to provide ownership rights of properties to residents of unauthorized colonies in the city. The Union Cabinet last month approved a proposal to grant ownership rights to people living in 1,797 unauthorized colonies in Delhi, a move that is estimated to benefit 40 lakh people in the city.

Delhi BJP's media relations head Neelkant Bakshi said the delegation will include residents of unauthorized colonies as well as activists who have been waging a struggle for ownership rights for many years in such colonies. The delegation will also include all seven Lok Sabha MPs of the party from Delhi and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Goel.

The meeting is scheduled at taking place at 3 PM, Bakshi said. The delegation led by Delhi BJP chief and North East Delhi MP Manoj Tiwari will thank the Prime Minister over his government's decision for providing ownership right to residents of 1,797 unauthorized colonies in the city, he said.

Tiwari had earlier claimed that a Bill will be passed in the Parliament's Winter Session to give residents of unauthorized colonies in Delhi ownership rights of their properties. Regularisation of unauthorized colonies has remained a major poll issue in Delhi for decades. The BJP and the ruling AAP have been vying to take credit for giving ownership rights to the people living in these settlements, ahead of Assembly elections due next year.

BJP is already holding public meetings in unauthorized colonies telling local residents about the Modi government's move to help them get ownership rights of their properties. The AAP leadership, including Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, has claimed that it was the ruling party in Delhi that sent a proposal for the regularisation of unauthorized colonies that has been accepted by the Centre.