The complex issue of regularisation of unauthorised colonies is expected to become simpler with a notification authorising Delhi government to rely on aerial photographs taken in 2007, instead of going by the 2002 images as specified earlier.
The gazette notification issued by Delhi Development Authority on Wednesday empowers the city government to fix boundaries of each identified unauthorised colony – with more than 50 per cent built-up area – by using satellite or aerial survey image obtained in 2007.
This change in the cut-off date of sorts from 2007 to 2002 would now allow more illegal colonies to be considered for regularisation.
The notification also clarified that boundaries would be fixed along physical features like drains, roads, railway lines, nullahs and by-lanes as interpreted through satellite images.
After fixing the boundaries on the basis of the 2007 images, the city government will forward the layout plan to the concerned local body.
Simultaneously, the government will issue orders regularising the colony, on the basis of the boundaries fixed after completing other technicalities.
The DDA will then affect changes in the land use for the area and the local body shall approve the layout plan.
Chief minister Sheila Dikshit expressed confidence that the pace of regularisation of unauthorised colonies will now get the desired momentum.
Delhi government had received applications from resident welfare associations of 1639 unauthorised colonies, seeking regularisation under revised guidelines 2007 issued by
the union urban development ministry in March 2008.
The exercise is being carried out with the help of Delhi State Spatial Data Infrastructure (DSSDI).
In many cases ,the layout plans based on the ground situation submitted by the residents's associations differed widely with the satellite imagery-based boundaries being drawn by DSSDI.
This created obstacles in finalising the boundaries map by the city government.