The Delhi Government is all set to ease norms for the development of over 1,600 unauthorised colonies, home to around 40 lakh people and considered as traditional Congress’ vote bank.
Besides easing norms to ensure speedy approval of projects in unauthorised colonies, the Government is likely to go for acquisition of land in those settlements where Government land was not available for setting up of hospitals and schools. “We are examining easing norms to ensure speedy development in unauthorised colonies. We are committed to provide all required facilities in these colonies,” Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said.
Sources said, in a first such move, the Government has completed all formalities to buy a plot of land measuring 2.5 acre from a resident in an unauthorised colony in Mohan Garden area in West Delhi’s Uttam Nagar to set up a 200-bedded hospital.
They said lt Governor Najeeb Jung has given his approval for acquisition of the plot while Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has already issued a No Objection Certificate to set up a hospital on it which was earlier categorised as agricultural land. “This is for the first time Government acquired private land in an unauthorised colony as there was no plot available for the hospital. It is a reflection of Government’s intention to put all facilities in unauthorised colonies,” an official said.
Sources said the Government will go for more such acquisition in unauthorised colonies where there was no DDA land for setting up schools, hospitals and other basic facilities. They said a cheque of `1.35 crore has been issued to owner of the plot as first installment. The Delhi Government has already written to Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath for changing land use norms in such settlements.
The Government had regularised 895 unauthorised colonies in September last year and various agencies like PWD, Delhi Jal Board and municipal corporations were tasked to put in place the entire required infrastructure in the settlements at the earliest.
The Government has also asked all the three municipal corporations to take the help of professional architects and prepare a layout for colonies that have already been regularised.
The Delhi Government had issued provisional regularisation certificates to over 1,639 unauthorised colonies ahead of Assembly Polls in 2008. The then Dikshit Government, while distributing the certificates, had promised to regularise the colonies if Congress came to power for the third term.