The Ministry of Urban Development and Delhi Government are at loggerheads on the issue of regularisation of 1,469 unauthorised colonies. Delhi BJP leaders are
annoyed with Secretary (Urban Development) Shankar Aggarwal who outrightly rejected the plan of Delhi Government to regularise unauthorised colonies ahead of the upcoming Assembly polls. Delhi Government officials forcibly argued for regularisation of these colonies as is where is basis and then take suitable view on remaining 170 colonies which fall on either the forest land or Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) land. As Shankar Aggarwal rejected the proposal, the officials proposed to make another presentation before the Union Cabinet as early as possible.
The rejection by Urban Development Ministry is a major blow to regularisation process as the issue is going to be a major poll plank in the coming Assembly polls. The meeting was convened by Urban Development Ministry to discuss the regularisation of unauthorised colonies and other issues of Delhi. The BJP will have to face consequences in the Assembly polls if these
colonies are not regularised before enforcing Model Code
of Conduct. In fact,
Secretary (Urban Development Department) Rajendra Kumar had sent a seven-page note to Aggarwal that out of 904 colonies 486 are not eligible for regularisation and 326 colonies are sill indeterminate due to the non-availability of built up per cent as per guidelines and
forest, ASI and DDA
hindrances details within the unauthorised colonies.
lambasting the Secretary (Urban Development), BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri said that Aggarwal has a negative
mindset and not impressed with the regularisation plan of Delhi Government. Defending the Delhi Government
proposal, Bidhuri said that was the only way to regularise
unauthorised colonies.
Bidhuri said that Delhi Government during its presentation before Shankar Aggarwal on Monday gave a firm proposal to regularise 1,469 colonies as is where is basis. As per presentation, Delhi Government’s plan said that two unauthorised colonies have already been cancelled while MCD has reported that 58 colonies fall on commercial and industrial area so they could not be regularised at this stage. At least 95 colonies existed on forest land and four are out of State boundary (read Uttar Pradesh). Around 170 colonies can be excluded from the list of 1,639 colonies and the remaining 1,469 should be given the go ahead for regularisation.
Sources said that there was no taker in the Urban Development Ministry of Delhi Government’s formula as Aggarwal has made three strong points as he wanted to know if the land owners in these 1,639 colonies will get the right to sale or purchase of the land after regularisation. Aggarwal also wanted to know whether Delhi Government can provide basic amenities such as sewer, road, dispensary, schools, community centre and other things in these colonies. The third is that he also wanted to know if land deed could be ascertained on each plot to provide khasra nos (land record) to each owner of the house.
Bidhuri said that the issue raised by Aggarwal would be the second step of regularisation process. “The Chief Secretary has categorically stated that he is ready to make a presentation before the Union Cabinet. The Urban Development Ministry should not create hurdle in the regularisation process. The issue is important for Delhi BJP in view of coming Assembly polls,” he said.