In Palwal, only 18 applications received for legalisation of unauthorised colonies

Tribune News Service

Bijendra Ahlawat

Palwal, August 19

Only 18 applications have been received so far for the regularisation of unauthorised residential colonies in the district. With a total of 350 illegal colonies detected, the DTP office has started receiving the applications in response to the notification issued by the state government.

Relief for residents

The move has come as a major relief for around two lakh residents of such colonies as it will pave the way for basic amenities such as water, sewer lines, roads and parks that had been missing. Sources

Panel to scrutinise applications

A six-member committee headed by the Deputy Commissioner will scrutinise the applications before formal approval. Devender Pal, district town planner

Revealing this, a senior district official said the regularisation had been taken up as per the policy announced by the state government under which the construction of houses or sale of plots in a colony should have been done prior to July 1, this year. He said while the policy was applicable to all colonies located both within or outside the Municipal Council limits, no maximum or minimum limit on the area or size of the colony had been fixed. “Any coloniser, land owner or the Resident Welfare Association (RWA) could apply within six months of the notification issued on July 19 last,” he said adding unregularised colonies will be considered as illegal.

It is claimed that though the number of applications received was less in number in comparison to the number of colonies, it was likely to pick up pace soon, as residents of a majority of such colonies were unaware of the norms and the procedure involved said an official. DC Krishan Kumar who held a meeting on Thursday, directed officials to conduct an awareness drive to clear doubts regarding the process. As the government has the right to legalise any illegal colony by relaxing the rules or norms, the DC said he had asked the officials to work in cohesion and coordination to ensure the implementation of the policy on the ground.

“The move has come as a major relief for around two lakh residents of such colonies, as it will pave way for the basic amenities such as water, sewer lines, roads and parks, that had been missing ,” said the sources. They claimed that this had also diminished the threat of demolition persisting since such colonies came up. It is also claimed that while a majority of the colonies had come up in the past up to 15 years, this step would also generate funds to the tune of several crores in the form of development charges for the civic body.

DTP Devender Pal said a six-member committee headed by the DC would scrutinise the applications before formal approval.

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