Centre should begin process of regularisation of unauthorisied colonies without delay, says Kejriwal

New Delhi, Oct 23: Welcoming the Union Cabinet's decision to regularise unauthorised colonies in the national capital, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the road map for it was based on a proposal sent by the Delhi government and that the Centre should start the process immediately.

Addressing the media, Kejriwal said the Centre has taken an important decision on the long-pending demand of Delhi'ites. The AAP dispensation will immediately start the process of registry of houses in these colonies by holding camps. Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said the Centre would also bring a bill in the Winter Session of Parliament to give relief to the residents of the unauthorised colonies in the national capital.

Taking to Twitter later, Kejriwal said that once the bill pertaining to the regularisation of unauthorised colonies is passed in Parliament, the Delhi government will immediately start the process for registry. "The Union Cabinet has prepared road map based on our proposal sent in November 2015. We want the central government to start the process immediately. There should be no further delay," he said.

The chief minister said that in the last five years, the AAP government has invested Rs 6,000 crore in unauthorised colonies without waiting for their regularisation. Asked about Union minister Puri accusing the AAP dispensation of delaying in fixing boundaries of unauthorised colonies, Kejriwal took a dig at the Centre, saying it takes credit for all things and all the wrong are done by the Delhi government. He said that on November 12, 2015, his government had sent a proposal to regularise unauthorised colonies and since then, it had been pending with the central government.

The Delhi Development Authority will conduct mapping of these colonies as per the Cabinet's decision, Kejriwal said, expressing apprehension that it would delay the process. "In our suggestion sent in July, we had said that mapping should be conducted by GSDL (Geospatial Delhi Limited) to speed up the process, but the DDA will do this work, resulting in delay in registry of houses in unauthorised colonies," he said. It was a long struggle of the Aam Aadmi Party and the people of Delhi for the regularisation of unauthorised colonies, he said.

"Soon, people living in these colonies will be able to sell and purchase land in these colonies. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved a proposal to grant ownership rights to people living in unauthorised colonies in Delhi, Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said. The move will benefit 40 lakh people. The Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry had formed a committed headed by Lt Governor Anil Baijal in March, ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, and was asked to submit its report within 90 days. In June, the committee had submitted its reports recommending the process for granting ownership and transfer rights to the residents of Delhi's unauthorised colonies.