DTCP to deploy drones to identify offences in illegal colonies

The department of town and country planning (DTCP) has decided to conduct a drone survey of around 700 illegal colonies that have come up in the district. Officials

The department of town and country planning (DTCP) has decided to conduct a drone survey of around 700 illegal colonies that have come up in the district. Officials said that the drone survey will help in fixing the geographical range of the offences and identifying the constructions carried out in these colonies.

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Officials said that this decision has been taken to curb construction of illegal colonies in the city. There are around 650 illegal colonies that have already been identified and listed by the revenue department in its upgraded property registration software, they said.

To conduct the survey using a drone, the department has asked its empanelled contractors to submit proposals, which shall be evaluated at the earliest so that the exercise can commence by next month.

Sanjiv Mann, a senior town planner, said, “The survey will generate good quality pictures with technical specifications that will help the department finalise the status of each colony. Any new violation can be easily identified and action can be initiated using these pictures. It will also help the government identify the areas where more than 50 percent development has taken place so that a decision can be taken on their notification for grant of services and infrastructure.”

RS Bhath, district town planner, enforcement, said that they have carried out more than 100 demolition drives in the last one year to curb illegal constrictions and stringent action has been initiated against developers and property dealers. “The drone survey will greatly help in fixing the boundaries and status of construction in these areas. It has already been ensured that registries of properties in such colonies are not carried out by the revenue department,” he said.

City-based property dealers suggest that the reason people are buying plots in illegal colonies is that the cost is less, payments can be made in parts and there is no need to follow building plans as prescribed by the DTCP and MCG. Also, many owners prefer to run shops, dairies and other ventures in such colonies, which is not allowed in approved areas, they said.

According to Pravesh Singh, a property dealer who is familiar with these colonies, plots in such colonies are available for between Rs 10,000 per square yard and Rs 30,000 per sq yard, whereas the minimum starting price for buying a plot in an authorised colony is Rs 65,000 per sq yard. “The price difference is too high and for the lower-middle class, there is no other option,” he said.

Mann, who was earlier the senior town planner of MCG, also said that under the present rules, there is no provision for creating basic infrastructure in illegal colonies. “These settlements need to be notified and only those developed on more than 50 percent can be regularised. The drone survey will also help in checking the level of development in these colonies,” he said.