Unauthorised colonies need registry not law: CM

ARVIND KEJRIWAL’S COMMENTS CAME A DAY AFTER THE LOK SABHA PASSED A BILL GRANTING RIGHTS OF OWNERSHIP TO RESIDENTS LIVING IN SUCH COLONIES

NEWDELHI: Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal said Friday that residents of unauthorised colonies in Delhi need registration on their properties and not a new law. His remarks came a day after the Lok Sabha passed a Bill to grant ownership rights to people living in unauthorised colonies.

The Delhi unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), meanwhile, accused Kejriwal of “doing politics” over the issue.

The assembly elections in Delhi are due early next year.

According to the Delhi economic survey conducted for the year, 2018-19, nearly four million people, which is one-fifth of the total population of the city, live in 1,797 unauthorised colonies here.

Addressing the media, Kejriwal asked people not to trust anyone until they get registration papers in their hands, as previous governments too had made similar promises but had failed to deliver.

Kejriwal also attacked the Bjp-led Centre saying that the saffron party’s promise will end up as betrayal of people, akin to that of the previous regime led by the Congress.

“People need registry and not a law, but when it will happen it is not known. I have heard that only 100 property owners will be given registry papers in the initial stage. BJP leaders will give registry papers to 100 owners at a huge event to be held at Ramlila Maidan…just for the photos I believe. But why should this preferential treatment be given to some people? Property registry should be provided to the whole of Delhi,” Kejriwal said. He also added that the exercise was just an “election gimmick” of the BJP.

Delhi BJP chief Manoj Tiwari, on the other hand, said that Kejriwal was “doing politics” over the issue of unauthorised colonies.

He said that after the Bill was passed in the Parliament, Arvind Kejriwal’s “real face” was exposed.

“Registration of unauthorised colonies will start on the web-portal of the Delhi Development Authority from December 16, after which people living in unauthorised colonies will get ownership rights. Aam Aadmi Party MP Bhagwant Mann left the house when voting on the Bill was taking place. Kejriwal will have to answer why his MP did not take the most important Bill related to the lives of over 40 lakh Delhi people seriously.”

Manoj Tiwari said.

Meanwhile, Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president Subhash Chopra said that the BJP has always acted against unauthorised colonies and had made every effort to “uproot” these colonies in the past.

He added that Congress was the only party which has always taken care of unauthorised colonies as many such colonies were regularised when the Congress was in power.

Congress leader Arvinder Singh Lovely, on the other hand, said that the announcement by Centre as well as state government, saying that the process to regularise unauthorised colonies in the city would be completed in 180 days, was a “big fraud”.