Get policy guidelines approved, chief secy directs officials

LUCKNOW: Chief secretary Rajive Kumar directed on Tuesday housing and town planning department officials to get policy guidelines related to regularisation of unauthorised colonies approved by the state government in view of the problems being faced by its inhabitants.

“No unauthorised colony should be allowed to come up after the cut-off date stipulated by the state government for regularisation of illegal colonies,” Kumar said at a meeting adding that the regularisation process should be taken up on priority.

In July last year, the government had given a statement in the assembly saying it was considering legalising illegal colonies and provide them basic civic amenities like road, clean drinking water, sewage and other facilities.

In Lucknow alone, there are over 400 illegal colonies.

Out of these, 241 are old colonies which have not been regularised so far despite repeated attempts to address the problem; the remaining 159 colonies have been identified by the Lucknow Development Authority in the recent past.

In fact, two unauthorised colonies, after their regularisation porposal was approved by the LDA, had even given commitment that they were willing to pay development charges and penalties several years ago but no decision was taken by the government.

Subsequently, a public interest litigation was filed before the Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court to highlight the plight of their residents and the menace the uanauthorised growth posed to the entire city.

The HC had directed the government to take a policy decision on the issue on their regularisation at the earliest and also in the process put an effective check on unathorised growth in future.

Principal Secretary, housing, Nitin Ramesh Gokarn said that after regularization it would become easier for the residents of these colonies to avail loans from various banks to improve and strengthen amenities like roads, water and sewerage disposal system.

Principal Secretary, Urban Development Manoj Kumar singh, Principal Secretary, Finance, Sanjeev Mittal and other senior officers were present during the meeting.