Regularisation of illegal colonies yet to begin

The process of regularisation of around 1,800 unauthorised colonies spread across the city is yet to begin as the companies hired by the Delhi government to do a feasibility survey that is mandatory for the initiation of the process, have not completed their task.

In 2015, the Delhi government selected two companies—SKP Projects Private Limited and Prime Meridian—for carrying out  a Total Station Machine Survey (TSMS) of around 1,000 unauthorised colonies, but so far, these companies have completed the survey work in only 60 colonies, official sources told The Sunday Guardian.

According to these sources, the total number of unauthorised colonies in Delhi is around 1,800. In 2015, the Centre had asked the Delhi government to initiate the survey process of these colonies. The Centre had also asked for demarcation of the boundaries of these colonies, following which the Delhi government had allotted tender to the Gujarat-based SKP Projects Private Limited for carrying out the feasibility survey.

Despite repeated mails and phone calls made by The Sunday Guardian to elicit a response, both the companies—SKP Projects Private Limited and Prime Meridian—did not respond to this newspaper’s queries. Spokesperson of the Delhi government, too, chose not to respond.

Besides the two companies mentioned above, the agencies which are supposed to execute the project include the Public Works Department (PWD), Delhi State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (DSIIDC), the Irrigation and Flood Control (I&FC) department and the municipal corporations. With 744 colonies, DSIIDC has been given the maximum unauthorised colonies for development, followed by I&FC at 674 colonies, MCD 284 and PWD (95). The responsibility for laying of water pipelines and sewerage network in all the colonies has been given to the the Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

“Due to the involvement of multiple agencies, the task of regualrisation is being delayed. There is a need for an inter-departmental committee to monitor the regularaisation process in Delhi,” a senior DSIIDC official told The Sunday Guardian.

The biggest problem in these colonies is not having ownership rights with the residents of the area, as the government considers these colonies illegal. Also, most of the unauthorised colonies are still struggling for basic facilities.

Over 40% of Delhi’s population lives in unauthorised colonies and the regularisation has been pending for a long number of years. The Congress government had distributed provisional regularisation certificates to 1639 unauthorised colonies before the 2008 Assembly elections.