New Delhi: Heeding to a request by Delhi Government, the Centre has allowed regularisation of over 1,200 unauthorised colonies by drawing their boundaries on the basis of satellite image of 2007, which is likely to push the entire process to regularise the settlements expeditiously.
Last month, the city government had asked Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath to allow finalising the boundaries of unauthorised colonies on the basis of the aerial map of 2007 instead of aerial map of 2002 so as to provide relief to a large number of unauthorised colonies.
Top officials said the Delhi Development Authority, which functions under administrative control of UD Ministry, issued a notification yesterday authorising the city government to finalise the boundaries of the colonies having more than 50 per cent built up area as per aerial image of 2007.
"The complex issue of regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi is set to become simple and smooth," said an official. The entire regularisation process had slowed down as government faced lot of difficulties in finalising the boundaries on the basis of 2002 images.
Lack of developmental work in unauthorised colonies, home to around 40 lakh people and which were traditional Congress stronghold, was identified as a major reason for Congress` defeat in the municipal polls in the city last month.
Delhi government had issued provisional regularisation certificates (PRCs) to over 1,200 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 the third term.
However, not a single colony has been regularised so far. The process slowed down considerably last year following allegations that some "non existent" as well as "ineligible" colonies were given provisional regularisation certificates flouting norms.
PTI
