37 ‘affluent colonies’ categorised as unauthorised

The national capital’s 37 residential blocks, which had been raised illegally over the years, have finally been stripped of the title of “affluent colonies.” Home to influential politicians, bureaucrats, police officers and business persons, these colonies would no longer be termed as affluent ones and have been categorised in the list of unauthorised structures.

Of the 37-odd colonies, residents of Sainik Farms, Anant Ram Dairy and Mahendru Enclave, termed as some of the posh areas of Delhi, had made several attempts in the past to get these regularised, but all in vain.

During the erstwhile UPA government, the Union urban development ministry had even moved a Cabinet note for the regularisation of the three “affluent unauthorised” colonies. But the proposal was reportedly shelved only after the PMO had raised some objections.

Earlier, the ministry was in a fix on how to define an affluent colony and was mulling the regularisation charges to be levied on the three colonies — Sainik Farms and Anant Ram Dairy in South Delhi and Mahendru Enclave in North Delhi.

Now, the Centre has made it clear that any person living in these colonies can be termed as affluent. It has also specified that the affluent persons could also live in unauthorised colonies. That’s precisely why these affluent colonies have been named as unauthorised colonies.

Among other colonies which have lost the title of affluent colonies are Bhawani Kunj in Vasant Kunj, Club Drive Colony in Ghitorni, Freedom Fighter Enclave on Ignou Road, Dang Complex on Saidu-lajaib Extension, Freedom Fighter Colony in Mehr-auli, Shanti Kunj, Defence Service Enclave in Khan-pur, Neb Sarai Extension, Anupam Garden, Green Meadows in Satbari, Chhattarpur Mini Farms in Mehrauli, Saidulajaib Extension, FSCC colony in Neb Sarai, Maidan Garhi Extension, Jonapur Bhim Basti, Pahari Samdev Bapu Colony and Khirki Extension.

Just before the Assembly elections in Delhi, the Union urban development ministry had sought to move the Cabinet, particularly to regularise Sainik Farms, Anant Ram Dairy and Mahendru Enclave. The proposal, which had been hanging fire for several years, was reportedly fast-tracked at the insistence of then minister Kamal Nath.

The ministry aimed at securing in-principle nod for the three colonies to protect them from any kind of demolition in the future. A senior officer said there was ambiguity as to what really qualifies as an affluent colony. The other colonies, which were regularised earlier, were home to the middle-class or the lower middle class.

In 2006, a committee headed by former Delhi chief secretary K.K. Mathur submitted a report, suggesting hefty regularisation charges for these colonies but it was rejected by the ministry.

The officer said that Sainik Farms had a long history. It was started in the late 1960s as a cooperative society for rehabilitation of war widows and retired defence personnel. With government support, land was purchased by the society and allotted to defence personnel for farmhouses. Over time, the area, commonly called as Sainik Farms, has attracted many non-defence personnel also.