The Hindu : New Delhi News : Proposal on illegal colonies to be forwarded to Centre

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Thursday, Dec 27, 2007
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Proposal on illegal colonies to be forwarded to Centre

Staff Reporter

Approval of the courts would also be taken, says Minister

‘Delhi Government is working on regularisation of 1,539 unauthorised colonies’
‘Delhi Government has also released Rs.423 crore for development works’

NEW DELHI: Development Minister Raj Kumar Chauhan on Wednesday told the Delhi Assembly that proposals for providing sewer connections to 127 unauthorised colonies have been received from the Delhi Jal Board and that the State Government would be forwarding the layout plans for 600 colonies to the Centre for approval.

Speaking during a short duration discussion on problems relating to unauthorised colonies, Mr. Chauhan said this time the approval of the courts would also be taken in the beginning to avoid any issue later on. He said just the way former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had got 567 unauthorised colonies regularised, the Delhi Government was working towards regularisation of 1,539 unauthorised colonies. After this, he assured, no more colonies would be taken up for regularisation.

The Minister said the Delhi Government had also released Rs.423 crore for development works relating to sewers and roads in these colonies. Of this, Rs.60 crore has been given to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi, Rs. 23 crore to DSIIDC, Rs.30 crore to the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, Rs.137 crore to Delhi Jal Board and Rs.10 crore for laying of sewers.

Initiating the discussion, BJP chief whip Sahab Singh Chauhan accused the Delhi Government of merely indulging in lip service on the issue. ``When after nine years in power the Congress Government in Delhi could not get a single colony regularised, how does it expect to bring about a major difference in the last year?” he asked.

The BJP leader said the Delhi Government and the Centre, which had in the past put up hoardings congratulating leaders for regularising the colonies, were only indulging in a publicity gimmick.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition Jagdish Mukhi had claimed in his chamber that it was only the erstwhile Jan Sangh and the BJP that had regularised colonies in Delhi. ``Not a single colony had been regularised during Congress rule,” he claimed.

Further, Prof. Mukhi had charged that while on one hand the Government was saying that all 1,539 unauthorised colonies would be regularised, it had recently asked them to form societies for arranging land for common facilities and said that without these facilities regularisation would not take place. “But how can such societies forcibly grab private land?” he questioned, adding that ``this is only a sham that will lead to anarchy”.

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