Focus: DDA move revives factory workers' hopes

The hopes of nearly half a million factory workers of continuing their livelihoods in the Indian capital have been revived following a landmark decision of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to recommend change in land use that may prevent closure of a large number of small factories functioning from residential colonies.

Nearly 20,000 such factories have been preparing for a shutdown from December 3, following a Supreme Court order to move all industrial units functioning from residential colonies by the end of this year.

Since only a handful of them got land at the alternative industrial area of Bawana, their closure was seen as imminent.

However, the DDA, which owns most of the land in the sprawling metropolis, acting on the Delhi state government's request decided that the best course would be to regularise their existence.

The guideline decided is to recommend to the federal Urban Development Ministry to change land use in 24 such residential colonies where 70 per cent of the total builtup areas are occupied by factories.

This, if accepted by the ministry, will place factories functioning from nonconforming areas to confirming areas without violating the Supreme Court order.

"We now hope that the Urban Development Ministry will also consider this proposal sympathetically, keeping the larger interests of a large workforce that would be otherwise rendered jobless," Deep Chand Bandhu, industry minister in the Delhi state government, said. The state government has been accused of doing nothing to shift these factories to an industrial area.

The DDA's decision would mean that there will be no relief for factories existing in areas where less than 70 per cent of the land is occupied by industrial units. Moreover, it has made it clear that only non-polluting factories will be allowed to exist in these areas, even after the federal ministry accepts their recommendation.

While the decision has come as a big relief, chances that they may have to shut down for sometime is not being ruled out.

Experts say that changing land use in the city will be a long drawn exercise since the federal Urban Development Ministry will have to issue a 30-day notice, seeking any objections to change in land use, before making a formal notification.

It is widely expected that residents of these 24 colonies will definitely object to this as they are already saying that this exercise will make them illegal residents. After notification, they will be seen as living in industrial areas by the court.

However, elated factory owners say that the middle course of notifying these areas as meant for mixed use can come in handy, citing several areas like Anand Parvat in central Delhi and Shahdara in east have peaceful co-existence of both factories and residences.

The Urban Development Ministry is unlikely to reject DDA's recommendation since the Bharatiya Janata Party which heads the coalition government at the centre does not want uprooting of such a large number of factory workers and has been threatening public agitation if they are closed down forcefully.