The guidelines for regularisation of unauthorised colonies had clearly states that once the boundaries of the colonies had been drawn by the Revenue Department of Delhi Government, the civic bodies would prepare the layout plans for them. And only thereafter would the Delhi Government issue the notification for regularisation.
Opportunity lost
But the Delhi Government has not waited for the civic bodies to prepare the layout plans. In doing so, it has also deliberately deprived its main political rival, the Bharatiya Janata Party, an opportunity to score brownie points on the issue of regularisation.
According to Chief Town Planner Shamsher Singh, as per the current procedures for regularisation, “the Delhi Government will send its layout plans to the civic bodies for scrutiny. The plans then are returned to the Government so as to fix the boundaries. Only after the layout plans have been finalised by the Corporation, the plans can be passed.”
The Congress realises that if the layout plans were sent to the BJP-ruled East, North and South Delhi Municipal Corporation at this juncture, the Opposition party would jump at the opportunity and have them passed quickly to convey the message that it was equally keen on ensuring that the unauthorised colonies were regularised.
A hint of this was given by North DMC Standing Committee Chairperson Yogendra Chandolia on Friday when he demanded that the Delhi Government present the layout plans before the civic body. “Present the layout plans before the Standing Committee and within 48 hours they will be passed,” he declared.
Objections yet to come
Sources said there was also the clause of allowing the resident societies who had submitted the maps to raise objections to the boundaries before they were finalised. “Objections for only 55 colonies were invited and then the exercise was stopped for it would have led to a lot of commotion,” said a senior official.
Now, the process would be started anew and a committee is expected to be constituted to take the suggestions and objections of the resident societies in the matter of all the colonies being regularised.
The cumbersome process is expected to get drawn to around the middle of next year. Some believe, the Congress would use it to go into the next Assembly elections in 2013 end by telling the residents that it has done all it could to regularise the colonies.
