Delhi's illegal colonies: BJP wants land cost exemption

With fresh elections in Delhi emerging as a big possibility, BJP legislators are eyeing unauthorised colonies as a potential vote bank.

With fresh elections in Delhi emerging as a big possibility, BJP legislators are eyeing unauthorised colonies as a potential vote bank. On Monday, a number of BJP MLAs, and councillors held a meeting with officials of the urban development department and the municipal corporations.

The delegation demanded that residents whose colony falls fully or partially on government land - a total 902 unauthorised colonies are being regularised - should be exempted from paying development charges and the land cost.

The delegation said that they would meet urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu and hence a detailed proposal was being made.

"We are planning to meet Naiduji over the issue of land cost and development charges which are as high as Rs 500-600 per square metre. People of unauthorised colonies will not be able to pay such a huge amount. We demanded that the clause that said that the colonies will be regularised only after they pay the charge should be dropped," said Sahib Singh Chauhan, BJP MLA.

Delhi BJP chief Satish Upadhyay said that the party had given a week's time to the UD department to examine the issue of regularising the unauthorised colonies and submit a report.

"We want to regularise the colonies in a legal manner. The Congress has been cheating the public and they need to know when exactly the colonies will be regularised," said Upadhyay.

The government has until March 2015 to complete the regularisation process of 895 unauthorised colonies including finalisation of boundary by the revenue department.