The Punjab government has decided to regularise all illegal colonies that have been developed before March 19, 2018. Once regularised, the residents of these colonies would get potable drinking water, sewerage, electricity and other basic facilities. Mr Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Housing & Urban Development Minister Punjab, today held a meeting with the colonisers and property dealers from across the state, here today, and took their suggestions regarding the same.While speaking on the occasion, Mr Bajwa said that the policy has been prepared keeping in mind the interests of the residents living in those unauthorised colonies as well as of the colonisers. He said that in this policy, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Lok Sabha MP Mr Sunil Jakhar have worked really hard to ensure the interests of all stake holders.He said that the state government is giving an opportunity to those colonisers/residents who have failed to apply for either getting their unauthorised colonies regularised or unauthorised plots/buildings falling in unauthorised colonies compounded under previous policies or whose application are pending. The policy will enable residents living in these colonies, to get facilities of basic amenities like water supply, sewerage, electricity and adequate roads etc.The salient features of this policy are that the unauthorised colonies developed before March 19, 2018 shall be regularised, regularisation charges earlier paid under the previous policies shall be adjusted, liberal charges are fixed for regularisation of colonies, charges received from the regularisation of the particular colony shall be used for providing basic infrastructure to that particular colony only, payment of charges shall be in installments, committees of officers shall be constituted for quick regularisation of the colonies as well as plots falling in these unauthorised colonies.
The Minister said that the Residents Welfare Associations (RWA) can also submit application for regularisation of the colony and where there is no coloniser, creation of RWA shall not be mandatory immediately, however, area under the road/park will be transferred in the name of the local authority immediately and subsequently will be transferred to RWA as and when formed for its maintenance till that time maintenance shall be responsibility of the coloniser. He stated that there are around 12500 unauthorised colonies in the state, that have been categorised into four categories i.e. where upto 25% plots are sold, where 25% to 50% plots are sold, where more than 50% plots are sold, Special provision for exceptional colony more than 75% built up, however, the coloniser will submit registered sale deeds within three months from the grant of provisional regularisation certificate in case sale agreements are submitted as proof of sale. He warned that stringent action will be taken against the coloniser of a colony, which comes after March 19, 2018 and who will not applied for regularisation.While addressing the gathering, Mr Kultar Singh Jogi, President, Property Dealers & Colonisers Association, and Mr Gurvinder Singh Lamba, welcomed the policy being brought by the state government and assured that no coloniser would develop an unauthorised colony in future.Punjab Food, Civil Supplies & Consumer Affairs Minister Punjab Mr Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Lok Sabha Member Mr Ravneet Singh Bittu assured that once the colonies are regularised, residents would get all basic amenities.Prominent among those present on the occasion included MLAs Mr Rakesh Pandey, Mr Kuldeep Singh Vaid and Mr Sanjay Talwar, Mayor Mr Balkar Singh Sandhu, former minister Mr Malkit Singh Dakha, DCC (Rural) President Mr Gurdev Singh Lapran, GLADA Chief Administrator Mr Parminder Singh Gill, Mr KK Bawa, Mr Shampy Bhathal Bhanohar, besides several others.