Around one-third of the Delhi's population which lives in the informal settlements (slums) should be the highest priority, said Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (Independent Charge) Hardeep Puri here on Tuesday.

While speaking at a conference on "Re-inventing Delhi" Puri said, "Those who live in these informal settlements should be given all the facilities that are available to their fellow citizens in the other parts."

He added, the ministry has also written a letter to the Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal but every time the ministry has tried to do something for those peoplem, Delhi government would be a stumbling block.

Speaking about the land pooling policy, Puri said, “Land pooling is important because it will result in the creation of around 17 lakh additional dwelling units that takes the pressure of the informal settlements”.

After independence the urban spaces have been ignored and more focus has been given on agriculture and rural development. This is a great platform for all the stakeholders to come up with ideas and to utilise the opportunity, Puri added.

The aim of the conference --organised jointly by Delhi Development Authority and National Institute of Urban Affairs--is to prepare a master plan of Delhi 2041 and to come up with ideas and strategies that can be adopted in the context of Delhi.

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