New Delhi: Heeding to a long-standing demand of Delhi Government, the Centre on Thursday agreed to relax the laid down norms to pave way for the regularisation of around 200 unauthorised colonies in the city.
Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath, in a meeting with Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, conveyed that all hurdles are being removed to regularise the colonies which did not meet prescribed norms for regularisation.
As per norms, unauthorised colonies, which had come up prior to March 31, 2002, and which had 50 percent built-up area as on February 8, 2007, were eligible for regularisation.
Around 200 unauthorised colonies did not meet the criteria and Delhi Government had been pressing for relaxing the norms so that these colonies could be regularised.
"The Union Urban Development Minister has given in principle approval for regularisation of around 200 unauthorised colonies which did not meet the laid down norms for regularisation," officials said.
She also asked Nath to allow the government to consider the boundaries of unauthorised colonies for regularisation as per the records of 2007 and not as per the records of 2002.
The Chief Minister also asked him to relax norms coming in the way of issuance of gazette notification for regularisation of around 895 unauthorised colonies.
The city government had announced regularisation of these colonies in September last year but yet to issue a gazette notification in this regard.
The Delhi government had issued provisional regularisation certificates to over 1,639 unauthorised colonies ahead of assembly polls in 2008.
The then Dikshit government, while distributing the certificates, had promised to regularise the colonies if Congress came to power for a third term.
After Congress' defeat in municipal polls in April, Dikshit had asked all concerned departments to expedite the regularisation process.
The unauthorised colonies, home to around 40 lakh people, are considered traditional support base of Congress.
Sources said Dikshit has also taken up the issue of extension of Lal Dora to over 165 villages in the city so that people living in them can use agricultural land for other purposes.
Lal Dora refers to land which is that part of the village 'abadi' (habitation). The land is used for non-agricultural purpose only. Lal Dora was exempted from the building by laws, and construction norms and related regulations under Delhi Municipal Act.
PTI
