Punjab Cabinet clears unauthorised colonies bill

The bill for regularisation of unauthorised colonies, plots and buildings is all set to be presented in the upcoming budget session of the Vidhan Sabha, following the go-ahead by the Punjab Cabinet here today, an official spokesperson said.

The Punjab Laws (Special Provisions for regularisation authorised colony) Bill, 2018 seeks to provide basic civic amenities like water supply, sewerage, electricity and road connectivity to people living in the unauthorised colonies.

It will also pave the way for the formulation of a comprehensive policy for regularisation of these colonies and plots or buildings across the state, the spokesperson disclosed after a Cabinet meeting, chaired by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.

There are at present around 7,000 illegal colonies, of which 5,000 were located outside the MC limits, disclosed the spokesperson, adding that no registration of the illegal colonies would be allowed.

Besides providing basic amenities to the residents of these colonies, the move was aimed at bringing all the unplanned areas into the planning framework, the spokesperson said.

It would give an opportunity to those colonisers or residents who had failed to apply for either getting their unauthorised colonies regularised or bringing unauthorised plots or buildings falling in the authorised colonies compounded under previous policies.

Highlighting the key features of this policy, the spokesperson said unauthorised colonies developed before March 19, 2018 shall be regularised, with regularisation charges earlier paid under the previous policies to be adjusted.

Liberal charges have been fixed for regularisation of colonies, and charges received from the regularisation of a particular colony shall be used for providing basic infrastructure to that colony only.

Payment of charges shall be in installments within a period of one year, the spokesperson added.

Committees of officers shall be constituted to regularise the colonies and plots, and any developer applying for regularisation of his colony shall have a Residents Welfare Association (RWA) in place.

The RWA can also submit an application for regularisation of the colony to the concerned authority under the provisions of the bill.

Further, to streamline the regularisation process, unauthorised colonies have been categorised as per the built-up area (up to 25 per cent, 25 per cent to 50 per cent, more than 50 per cent area), with a special provision for exceptional colony having more than 75 per cent built-up area.