New Delhi: The AAP government today told the Delhi High Court that under the proposed amendments to the rules for regularising unauthorised colonies, a colony would not be categorised as affluent and instead the affluent residents would be identified by their plot size.
The earlier regulations for regularisation did not apply to unauthorised colonies which were inhabited by affluent sections, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government has said and added that now this provision has been deleted.
“… It was unanimously agreed that there is no merit in categorising some colonies as affluent and others as non-affluent. Affluent people could be residing in any unauthorised colonies. Therefore, we would consider determining affluent residents based on plot size criteria…,” the government said justifying its action.
The proposed amendment, among others, was placed before a bench of justices Badar Durrez Ahmed and Sanjeev Sachdeva which had on several occasions this year directed the Delhi government to draft a proposal for regularisation of unauthorised colonies, including affluent ones like Sainik Farms, in the national capital.
Various other formalities for regularisation of such colonies have also been deleted by the government saying it will now refer to satellite imagery to identify the boundaries of unauthorised colonies and people and Resident Welfare Associations will no longer have to provide layout plans or liase with the concerned agencies.
Also under the amended regulations the provision for issuing a provisional regularisation certificate has also been done away with as a newer “streamlined” procedure was being adopted which would depend upon aerial survey or satellite imagery to determine the existence of a colony, government has said.
The government said the proposed amendments have been forwarded to the Centre which will now take the final call.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by an NGO alleging illegal construction in Sainik Farms.
The NGO, in its plea, has contended that over 500 fresh illegal constructions having huge structures have come up in the area and thousands of tonnes of building material are being taken there despite the court’s 2007 order prohibiting the same.