Cong will win, says minister

Weeks before the Assembly elections, Urban Development Minister Rajkumar Chauhan declared that the Congress government would win the upcoming elections due to its decision of regularising the 1,639 unauthorised colonies in the Capital.

Chauhan was replying to the allegations made by the Opposition calling the government8217;s move to distribute provisional authorisation certificates to the colonies a poll stunt. 8220;It was due to the co-ordination between the Centre and Congress government in the Capital that 40 lakh residents of 1,639 colonies will now have a better standard of living,8221; said Chauhan. The minister also praised his party on the nuclear deal clinched by the UPA government, saying the low-cost housing scheme for the poor will prove to be Congress8217;s ticket to victory in the elections. The heated debate on unauthorised colonies lasted nearly three hours. Chauhan added that the government has allotted Rs 1,043 crore for development in the year 2008-2009, out of which Rs 439.25 crore has been released till September. He said the government will be spending Rs 2,800 crore in the next five years for the regularization process. 8220;It took the government ten years to take such a tiny step, and a permanent regularisation certificate still remains a far cry,8221; said leader of Opposition Jadgish Mukhi. BJP MLA Vijay Jolly said that despite government8217;s claims of pumping money for the development of the unauthorised colonies, most areas still face powercuts and water shortage that last for 24 to 30 hours at a stretch. He also alleged that a majority of these colonies do not have proper roads, streetlighting, sewer facilities and other basic amenities.