Fast-track regularisation of colonies: CM Kejriwal to Centre

NEW DELHI: In order to fast-track process for providing ownership rights to the residents of unauthorised colonies, chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday urged the Centre to regularise the 1,797 such colonies at the earliest without waiting for the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to conduct a mapping exercise.

The city government sent a list of 12 suggestions to the Centre which had shared a draft cabinet note on regularisation of unauthorised colonies with multiple stakeholders earlier this month. Mr Kejriwal said: “We have accepted all the conditions of the Centre and sent them some suggestions and comments. It is now up to the Centre to consider them.”

One of the suggestions of the Delhi government is a request to shift the cut-off date for the exercise from January 1, 2015 to March 31, 2019. It has also requested that the Centre considers GPA and other documents (which were declared void by a 2011 order of the Supreme Court) be considered eligible for registry.

Mr Kejriwal said residents will have to pay stamp duty for only the last transaction even if the ownership of a property in an unauthorised colony has been transferred multiple times. He said: “I have learnt that the Union minister, Hardeep Puri, has said that the process will be initiated in a month, following which the DDA will do a mapping exercise in another three months. I urge the Centre not to wait for the mapping exercise and start the process at the earliest. Delhi government has satellite maps which can be provided to the Centre.”

Elaborating on the broad roadmap of the exercise, Mr Kejriwal said that the Centre’s proposal has suggested that the regularisation exercise would be carried out in two phases. The first phase will include the 1,797 unauthorised colonies. For the second phase, the Delhi government has to see if more unauthorised colonies have emerged with time but did not make it in the list.