Delhi Announces New Slum Policy With Lajpat Nagar Relocation Tenders

On Wednesday, Delhi Urban Development Minister Ashish Sood announced the upcoming Delhi Slum and JJ Cluster Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy, 2026, which will bring in-situ relocation and rehabilitation to slum clusters in Lajpat Nagar and other parts of the capital. The new policy extends the eligibility cut-off date to January 1, 2025, and is set to benefit approximately four lakh families, or nearly 20 lakh people, across the city.

Under the direction of Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who chaired a key meeting regarding the policy, tenders will be issued for five slum clusters under a public-private partnership (PPP) mode. These include Lajpat Nagar in the Southeast district, Mayur Vihar in the East, Seelampur in the Northeast, Sultanpuri in the Northwest, and Pitampura in the Central North.

The 2026 policy replaces the older Delhi Slum Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy of 2015. By advancing the cut-off date for eligibility by ten years, the government has made virtually all slum dwellers residing in clusters that existed as of January 1, 2025, eligible for a pucca house.

According to officials, the older policy often left half of the families in a slum ineligible, which frequently resulted in local resistance and court cases. The new policy aims to make everyone in a cluster eligible to ensure better cooperation during the relocation process.

Sood stated that the government is also working on a new provision under which family members living on the first or second floor of a slum unit will be eligible for rehabilitation upon paying an additional charge.

Under the new framework, slum dwellers will have to pay a sum ranging between Rs 1.12 lakh and Rs 1.41 lakh to obtain a house. Sood described the policy as a revolutionary move that adheres to the promise of "Jaha Jhuggi Wahan Makan," ensuring a better housing future for the city's residents.