Councillors can use dev fund for unauthorised colonies: govt

Delhi Government today expressed strong resolve to put in place basic infrastructure in all 895 unauthorised colonies which were regularised last year and accused the BJP-ruled municipal corporations of delaying implementation of various projects in the settlements.
Urban Development Minister Arvinder Singh Lovely said to accelerate pace of development in unauthorised colonies, Delhi government has allowed three municipal corporations to utilise Councillors' Local Area Development Fund for various projects in these areas.
"The required orders will be issued after taking due approval on the files as per an established procedure," said Lovely.
He also accused the BJP-ruled municipal corporations of not allowing developmental activities in the unauthorised colonies for "political reasons".

Lovely also asked the municipal corporations to finalise the lay out plans of all 895 colonies at the earliest.
"The BJP-ruled corporations have been delaying finalisation of the lay out plans. If they delay the layout plans, then implementation of various projects will also get delayed," said Lovely.

The government has already asked the three municipal corporations to take the help of professional architects in making the layout plans for colonies that have already been regularised.
The Delhi government last month had opened sale and purchase of properties in 320 unauthorised colonies, which came up on private land.
Out of 895 colonies which were regularised on September 5, as many as 320 settlements are on private land, while the remaining ones came up on government land.

The Delhi government had issued provisional regularisation certificates to over 1,639 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.
Out of the 1,639 colonies, 895 were regularised in September last year. The unauthorised colonies are considered traditional vote-banks of Congress.
After the Congress' defeat in municipal polls in April last year, Dikshit had asked all the departments concerned to expedite the regularisation process.
The government had instructed municipal corporations to finalise the lay out plans for each of the 895 regularised colonies at the earliest.