The Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Mr. Sukhbir Singh Badal today issued instructions to Local Government and Urban Development Department to launch a sustained campaign to get the illegal colonies regularize as per the latest comprehensive policy cleared by the Punjab Council of Ministers. In a high level meeting held here today Mr. Badal said that thousands of residents of over 5000 illegal colonies were leading uncertain lives due to their illegal status and Punjab Government has come out with this comprehensive policy to help them to get their colonies and structures regularized as per the policy. He said that it was the most comprehensive and detailed policy passed by any state Government and there was an urgent need to launch a campaign to educate the public that how they can get the benefit from the new policy of the state government. He said that he was getting queries from people across the state, who were not aware about the intricacies of the New Policy and whom to approach to get their colony regularized.
Directing Local Government and Urban Development Department to launch a coordinated and sustained campaign, Mr. Badal said that Punjab Government would have to adopt pro-active approach by going to the Public rather expecting public to approach them. He said that these departments should distribute over 5000 colonies amongst Nodal Officers, who would be responsible for going to these colonies, organizing camps there, getting the forms fulfilled, coordinating with colonizers and allottees to get the formalities fulfilled and then getting that colony regularized. Mr. Badal said that the colonies with the Municipal area falling within the purview of Local Government department whereas colonies outside the MCs limit would come under the ambit of Urban Development Department.
Asking Mr. S. K. Sandhu, Principal Secretary to CM, to convene a meeting with the Deputy Commissioners from all the districts, in which representatives of these two departments would also present so that coordinated approach could be worked out to ge all these colonies regularized within next two months. Asking both departments to launch a multimedia educating campaign to inform the public about new policy, Mr. Badal said that the policy should be explained in layman’s language to help the public. Prominent amongst those present in the meeting Bhagat Chuni Lal, Local Bodies Minister, S.K. Sandhu, Principal Secretary to CM, Ashok Gupta, Secretary Local Government, Mr. A. Venu Prasad, Secretary Urban Development, Anurag Aggarwal, MD PIDB, P.S. Aujla, Principal Secretary to Deputy CM, Gagandeep Singh Brar, Special Principal Secretary to CM, Manvesh Singh Sidhu and Ajay Mahajan, both Special Principal Secretaries to Deputy CM.