Illegal colonies: government to rope in flood control dept

New Delhi: Delhi urban development minister Satyendar Jain on Wednesday said that the Aam Aadmi Party government plans to carry out development works in around 1,700 unauthorised colonies through irrigation and food control department.

Replying to a question in the Delhi Assembly, Mr Jain said that at present, Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC) only carries out civic projects in unauthorised colonies across the city.

“The government has made a plan to allow irrigation and flood control department to look after the development works in around 1,700 unauthorised colonies along with DSIIDC,” Mr Jain told the House during the Question Hour.

The decision came after some MLAs complained that there has been a delay in executing development works in unauthorised colonies falling under their constituencies. The minister also said that due to delay in regularisation of unauthorised colonies by the Centre, developmental works have been affected.

Mr Jain also asked BJP MLA Jagdish Pradhan, who said that around 99 per cent of colonies are unauthorised in his constituency, to take up the issue of regularisation of all colonies in Delhi with the Centre where the BJP is in power.

The Delhi Congress had recently attacked the AAP government on the issue of regularising unauthorised colonies across the national capital, saying it has failed to regularlise even one in the past two years.

DPCC president Ajay Maken said that the AAP had promised to regularise all the unauthorised colonies within one year after coming to power, but two years have passed and it has not fulfilled its promise.