HC sets up panel on regularisation of unauthorised colonies

New Delhi, May 31 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Wednesday set up a committee comprising Central and Delhi governments officials to decide on the matter of regularisation of unauthorised colonies, including constructions in the Sainik Farms.

A division bench of Justice S. Ravindra Bhat and Justice Navin Chawla, setting up the committee, remarked the issue has been pending over a decade and the way things are moving, the situation will be the same after 15 years.

The bench was of the view that there was a need for some policy on the regularisation of unauthorised colonies and it should be brought to some conclusion, as the matter was going back and forth between the Centre and the Delhi government.

The committee will be chaired by the Union Urban Development Secretary, and have as its members Delhi's Principal Secretary, Urban Development, senior officials of the civic bodies, the Delhi Development Authority, the Delhi Jal Board, the Central Public Works Department, and electricity distribution companies, said the court, adding that the committee shall meet twice a month and look into all the relevant and practical aspects.

The committee should file an action taken report in eight weeks, it said.

The court's direction came after Delhi government said it had forwarded a decision to regularise unauthorised colonies in the national capital to the Central government but the latter had not taken any decision even after a lapse of one year.

On the other hand, the Central government told the court that no decision was taken since certain clarifications were sought from the Delhi government, which have not yet been received.

The court now posted the matter for hearing on August 18.

The court was hearing public interest litigations on alleged rampant illegal constructions in the Sainik Farms here.