JOIN US'Don't politicise development work'
The city government on Thursday pulled up the three BJP-ruled municipal corporations for failing to start the process of finalising layout plans for the 895 colonies, which were regularised last month.
In a meeting, urban development minister Arvinder Singh Lovely asked the commissioners of north, south and east Delhi municipalities to start the process immediately.
The finalisation of layout plans for the colonies is important for facilitating infrastructure, such as schools and hospitals.
Referring to reports that the civic bodies have not started the process due to financial constraints, Lovely said none of MCDs has submitted any comprehensive proposal seeking funds for the purpose. He said the government will provide money if the corporations request for it.
Referring to a directive of the urban development ministry, Lovely said the corporations are bound to prepare layout plans for the just-regularised colonies within a month.
He said the municipal corporations can collect house tax from residents of the recently regularised colonies once the layout plans are finalised. He also said civic bodies should not “politicise” the issue of carrying out development work in the colonies.
“The government will take adequate steps to ensure that building plans are also sanctioned by competent corporation authorities so that people do not face any difficulty,” Lovely said.
Out of 895 colonies that were regularised last month, 312 settlements are on private land and 583 colonies came up on government land.
The government is also in the process of allowing sale and purchase of properties in colonies on private land.
Allowing sale and purchase will bring relief to lakhs of residents as the government had restricted them after issuing provisional regularisation certificates in 2008.
The city government had issued provisional regularisation certificates to over 1,639 unauthorised colonies ahead of the Delhi 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.