NEW DELHI: In a major announcement for the residents of Delhi’s 1,797 unauthorised colonies, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday said that the Centre has given its in-principal approval to regularise the colonies.
“Congratulations to the people living in unauthorised colonies. You will soon be the owners of your houses. The Centre is willing to give its approval to the Delhi government’s proposal sent by us in November 2015. The preparations to begin the registry have started. I would like to thank the Central government on behalf of the people of Delhi,” Kejriwal said in a press conference at the Delhi Secretariat. Kejriwal’s cabinet had cleared the proposal to regularise the colonies on November 2, 2015, and sent it to the Centre on November 12 of the same year.
While addressing the media, the Chief Minister said that his government had long envisioned. “A long-standing dream of the people living in unauthorised colonies is going to be fulfilled soon. Until now, all Central and state governments had betrayed the people living in unauthorised colonies. We started working on this promise right from day one.”
He further briefed that the Centre has sent some technical questions on the proposal regarding which he has directed all senior officials in a meeting on Thursday morning to immediately prepare responses within the next two to three days. “I have directed the Revenue department to begin the preparations for the facilitation of large scale registrations. We will set up camps to ensure smooth processing.” The AAP Government has spent an unprecedented Rs 6,000 crore into development works for unauthorised colonies, he said.
The Centre and Delhi government has agreed on the cut off date (1/1/2015). Only those colonies which have applied for regularisation before this date will be eligible for regularisation. Another key issue for regularisation is the provision set in a series of judgments by the Supreme Court of India and the Delhi High Court which ruled that regularisation will only take place after basic facilities – sewers, drains, roads and lanes are provided in these colonies.