Development fee for unauthorised colonies gets nod

The government has,however,offered discount for those who pay the charges at the earliest — payment within three months after the regularisation will win a rebate of 20 per cent. Others can pay in four installments in a year.

Delaying payment beyond a year will attract a 10 per cent interest per year. To facilitate payment,RWAs may be allowed to collect the charges.

The development charge has been decided by a Group of Ministers,including Finance minister

A K Walia,Revenue minister Rajkumar Chauhan,Transport minister Arvinder Singh Lovely and Social Welfare minister Mangat Ram Singhal. The GoM had submitted its report last week.

“The Cabinet has approved the recommendations of the GoM to levy charges for regularisation of the colonies,” Dikshit said.

The Congress government announced the regularisation of unauthorised colonies ahead of Assembly elections in 2008. There was no mention of development charge at the time. Defending their decision,the ministers claimed a development charge was levied even in 1970. “The residents had to pay Rs 90 per square metre,compared to that Rs 200 per sq metre is negligible,” said Chauhan.

A senior official said for a house on a 50-metre plot,Rs 10,000 will have to be paid as development fee.

This is,however,not the only charge the residents will have to pay — water connection,sewage,electricity and approval of plans by the MCD will all have separate fees.

“Neither are there any parks in unauthorised colonies,nor is there a scope for developing any. The government is cheating (the residents),” said a Congress MLA.

At present,out of 1,639 colonies,1,020 have got the necessary clearances from different agencies and will be regularised once the MCD clears their layout plan.