The Hindu : New Delhi News : Congress alleges discrepancies in regularisation process

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Congress alleges discrepancies in regularisation process

Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI: Unwilling to concede an issue to the Bharatiya Janata Party in this election year, Congress MLA from Nasirpur Mahabal Mishra has written to Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit stating that a major discrepancy has crept into the process of regularisation of 1,539 unauthorised colonies. There was a vast difference in the guidelines issued by the Union Urban Development Ministry on October 5, 2007, and the subsequent notification issued by the Delhi Government on November 14, 2007, he alleged.

The letter is being viewed by many as an open challenge to the Chief Minister as it holds the Delhi Government accountable for the situation that has arisen in the wake of the notification. Also according to political observers it shows that many Congress MLAs are feeling uneasy about the regularisation fiasco taking place at a time when the party is facing an uphill task seeking a third consecutive term in Delhi.

Stating that these deviations had become a tool in the hands of corrupt officials and unscrupulous residents’ welfare association representatives and touts to harass and extort money from lakhs of people living in these unauthorised colonies, Mr. Mishra cautioned that as residents of these colonies are traditional supporters of the Congress, the matter should be rectified at the earliest so that the BJP is not able to take advantage of the issue by indulging in misleading propaganda.

Highlighting the discrepancies between the two notifications, the MLA stated that the November 14, 2007, notification by the Delhi Government fails to make any mention of the relief given by the United Progressive Alliance government at the Centre recently and is in fact a replica of the guidelines issued by the National Democratic Alliance government in 2004.

Elaborating on the issue, he said according to the Delhi Government notification colonies are to be regularised according to the aerial survey of March 2002 and only 1,539 colonies fall under that category. However, the October 5, 2007, guidelines of the Union Urban Development Ministry clearly state that there is no limit of 1,539 colonies and the aerial survey is valid up to February 8, 2007, and even new colonies and village “abadi” extension, “Lal Dora” and “Lal Dora extension” can apply for regularisation.

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