Ahead of the Assembly elections, the Union Urban Development Ministry finally succumbed to the pressure of the local BJP leaders to soften its stand on the issue of regularisation of 1,469 unauthorised colonies in the national Capital. The Ministry on Friday asked the Delhi Government to come out immediately with a fresh proposal for regularisation of the unauthorised colonies.
Sources in the Urban Development Ministry told The Pioneer that Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu met lieutenant Governor Najeeb Jung on Friday and directed to bring a fresh proposal regarding regularisation of unauthorised colonies suggesting ways to regularise the unauthorised colonies in the city. During a meeting, the Minister has sought details about issues involved in the regularisation process.
Delhi BJP leaders and MPs have been exerting pressure on the Government to regularise unauthorised colonies before announcing the Assembly polls in the national Capital. It is noted that Delhi Government has earlier this week made a presentation before Urban Development Secretary Shankar Aggarwal, who reported to have not impressed with the Delhi Government presentation on regularisation of unauthorised colonies. Chief Secretary DM Spolia has suggested the administration should regularise these colonies on “as is where is basis” on the lines of 1,977 regularisation policy and withdraw all conditions and existing guidelines.
Sources said that lieutenant Governor reportedly briefed that the Urban Development Ministry will have to withdraw its earlier norms and bring fresh ones to regularise it. He reportedly said that they should take a final call on whether to impose development charges on the residents of the unauthorised colonies or not. He is also said to have suggested that earlier guidelines be withdrawn and new ways be formed so that there are no hick-ups in the regularisation process. lieutenant Governor also apprised that the Ministry should make partial amendments in areas where colonies were on the DDA, forest department or Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) land.
Sources said Jung informed the Minister that the Urban Development Secretary Shankar Aggarwal had not taken the suggestions made by the city administration seriously in the recent past. The Delhi Government also made it clear that the Government cannot remove 40 lakh people living in such colonies all across the city.
The Urban Development Ministry and Delhi Government had been at loggerheads over the issue of regularisation of 1,469 unauthorised colonies. The local BJP leaders were annoyed with Aggarwal who had reportedly rejected the city administration’s proposed plan to regularise unauthorised colonies ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections.
In the last meeting, Spolia had vehemently argued that first these colonies be regularised on “as is where is basis” and then a suitable view be taken on the remaining 170 colonies which fall on either on forest or ASI land. Since Aggarwal had rejected the proposal, Spolia had proposed to make another presentation before the Union Cabinet.
The rejection by the UD Ministry had come as a major blow to the regularisation process as the issue was going to be a major poll plank in the upcoming elections. In a seven-page note to Aggarwal, Rajendra Kumar, Secretary (Urban Development Department) had said that of the 904 colonies, 486 were not eligible for regularisation and 326 others were 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.