Policy to look at regularisation of unauthorised colonies in 15 days

Venkaiah Naidu discusses transparency in civic bodies at review meeting

The Central Government will draft a policy that will take a fresh look at regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi within 15 days; land-owning authorities will map properties within three months; and a separate agency for maintenance of public toilets on PPP mode will soon be put in place.

These were some of the decisions that came out of a review meeting on development issues in the Capital called by Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday, which also discussed water supply in the Munak Canal, transparency in functioning of civic bodies, and creation of more parking areas.

The seven Delhi MPs, mayors of civic bodies, and heads of various agencies such as the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) and Delhi Metro participated.

After the draft policy is in place for unauthorised colonies, the Delhi Government and the Union Urban Development Ministry will jointly prepare an action plan in the city which will clear hurdles in regularisation of these colonies.

Meanwhile, Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said he had requested Mr. Naidu to “allow municipal corporations to start development work in unauthorised colonies so that people living in these colonies could have access to basic amenities”.

Encroachments

In order to address the problem of encroachments, the DDA and the civic bodies will map using the latest GIS technology the various properties in the city which will be made available in the public domain. “All MPs, MLAs and Corporators and general public should provide necessary information in this regard to respective agencies so that the problem of encroachment could be addressed,” said Mr. Naidu.

While the Delhi Jal Board will take over the infrastructure built by the DDA for water supply in Dwarka and other areas on ‘as is where is basis’, the cost of necessary improvement work would be reimbursed by the DDA.

Further, the Union Ministry would take up the issue of enabling water supply through the Munak Canal that augments water supply to Dwarka with the Haryana Government.

The Union Ministry also instructed the officials concerned that handing over and taking over of public utilities between DDA and Delhi municipal bodies should be done within two months and a standard operating protocol put in place.