For developing 450 colonies, Delhi to seek centre's help

New Delhi, April 25 (IANS) The Delhi government Thursday decided to seek the approval of the union urban development ministry to carry out development works in 450 unauthorized which are not eligible for any public work.

"We are committed to regularize all unauthorized colonies and to carry out developmental works in such colonies in order to improve the standard of living of the large number of the residents," Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said Thursday.

Earlier, only those unauthorized colonies were considered eligible for development work where 50 percent plots had been built up by 2007.

In 2007, a total of 450 unauthorized colonies did not qualify for development work as the built plots were not 50 percent.

"These colonies have now become eligible for consideration as the percentage of built-up plots has crossed 50 percent and is touching around 90 percent. We will take up the matter with the urban development ministry," Dikshit told reporters after the cabinet meeting.

The Congress government in Delhi had issued provisional regularization certificates to over 1,600 illegal colonies in the city ahead of the state assembly polls in 2008.

However, the move hung fire till 2012 when Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit took up the matter with the central government. She got the go-ahead to regularize 917 unauthorized colonies in September last year.