Govt was alerted in 2009: 150 colonies cannot be located

Ahead of state elections in 2008,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit’s government granted provisional regularisation certificates to 1,239 illegal colonies,a temporary arrangement,committing that these colonies will eventually be declared legal.

In 2009,the Chief Town Planner,in a letter to the Urban Development department,mentioned that no report could be provided on 150 colonies as these could not be located even in aerial photographs.

“This was because the Resident Welfare Associations had not provided proper key plan with sufficient surrounding/landmarks to locate the colony,” Chief Town Planner V K Bugga wrote to Principal Secretary,Urban Development,on July 17,2009.

The letter pointed out that related files had been “misplaced”. “Several files are misplaced and the report could not be provided. Such colonies have been indicated in the list under Remarks.”

The letter said that some colonies had only single plots or almost all plots with farmhouses. “A few other observations may please be seen in respect of colonies being primarily commercial or industrial or else has only one plot or all plots primarily farmhouses,” the letter stated.

On Wednesday,Lokayukta Manmohan Sarin asked the government to produce records of the procedure and safeguards adopted in granting the amnesty in the form of provisional regularisation certificates.

Sarin issued the directions,taking cognizance of a specific complaint regarding three such unauthorised colonies in Southeast Delhi,which were chosen for these certificates allegedly against the amnesty criteria.

He issued notice to the state Urban Development Secretary,Revenue Secretary and the Delhi Development Authority Secretary,asking them to furnish by December 23 all amnesty-related documents that were granted to these colonies.

The colonies mentioned in the complaint are Kotla Mahi Gram Extension,Jasola; Abul Fazal Enclave Part-II,Block G and H; and Radha Kishan Vihar,Kotla Mahigram,Kalkaji.