The Hindu : Centre hoodwinking residents of illegal colonies: Walia

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Feb 20, 2004

New Delhi

New Delhi

Centre hoodwinking residents of illegal colonies: Walia

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI, FEB. 19 . The Delhi Urban Development Minister, A.K. Walia, today termed as unrealistic, impractical and politically motivated the guidelines issued by the Union Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation Ministry for regularisation of unauthorised colonies in the Capital. "It is a clear attempt to woo the voters before the Lok Sabha elections by putting out misleading information," he said.

In a strongly worded statement here, Mr. Walia claimed that if the Delhi Government or any other authority were to follow the guidelines, then the unauthorised colonies would never be regularised. Referring to some of unrealistic points, Dr. Walia said the Residents' Cooperative Societies would have to execute all the development works in the colony. Execution of development works would commence only after the approval of service plans by the agency concerned and submission of the layout plans along with the processing fee to the local body or the Delhi Development Authority. The colony would be declared regularised only after the execution of the infrastructure works as per approved services plan by the society. The owner would have to make alternation in the build up houses according to the layout plans provided by the local body or the agency concerned.

Further, the guidelines state that no individual service connection would be provided to the householder having road width of less than 4.5 meters. Similarly, the charges in respect of land and penalty are totally unrealistic as they are the bona fide purchaser of the land and could not be made to pay twice for the same land. According to the revised guidelines, the charges for unauthorised colonies that have come up on developed public land, cost of land should be recovered on the basis prevailing cost of acquisition of agricultural land. In addition a penalty of 10 per cent of the land rate on the plot size of 100 square meters and 50 per cent on the land rate on plot size of 101square meters and above would be recovered.

For the unauthorised colonies that have come up on developed public land and inhabited by non-affluent sections, the cost of land should be recovered on the basis of notified land rate of DDA. In addition, a penalty of 10 per cent and 50 per cent would be imposed depending on the size of the plot.

For affluent unauthorised colonies on developed public land like Anant Ram Dairy, Mahendru Enclave, cost of land would be recovered as per the current market value with a penalty of 50 per cent of the market value. Dr. Walia said it had become a habit of the NDA Government to make populist and misleading announcements before the polls and pointed to the tabling of the Statehood Bill before the Assembly elections.

However, after the elections, the BJP-led Government forgot the Statehood issue and now these revised guidelines are once again being issued to mislead the people. The Sheila Dikshit Government is of the view that all unauthorised colonies should be regularised on the lines of the 1976-77 policy of the Indira Gandhi Government.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

New Delhi