NEW DELHI, Aug 17: In a surprise move, New Delhi Chief Minister Sahib Singh Verma appeared before the Delhi High Court today and pleaded for the extension of the cut-off date for regularisation of unauthorised colonies on private lands.``The move, if approved, would facilitate the addition of 383 more colonies to the present list of 1071 approved colonies on private lands,'' he said adding, that the High Court was treating March 31, 1993 as the cut-off date. Following this, a Division Bench directed the Chief Minister to take a decision within 45 days whether to demolish or regularise the unauthorised colonies settled on government land saying that ``a status quo in this regard was encouraging corruption at the official level.''The petitioner H D Shourie urged the court not to allow any extension of the time as elections to the Delhi Assembly were round the corner. He contended that he had moved the public interest petition in 1994 against the regularisation of the colonies on private lands as thegovernment, with the sole motive to influence voters in the elections, was contemplating to regularise the colonies.The Bench, however, permitted the Chief Minister to carry out drainage and road construction works in these colonies. The court order also directed the Chief Minister to provide electricity and water connection to all the colonies, but clarified that the facilities would be subject to the government decision to demolish or regularise the colonies.``A clarification was passed by the High Court on August 18, 1994 stating that even if law enables the Authority to provide water and electricity, the same should be supplied. However, despite the orders, it took the Government three years to provide electricity connections to the colonies (the Government on June 30 last year decided to release one lakh connection for the colonies),'' the order said.The Bench in its detailed order said earlier this year on May 13 the court was informed by the Delhi and the Central governments that the matter onthe regularisation of the colonies was in an advanced stage between the Chief Minister and the officials at the Centre.
