BJP MPs seek regularisation of 69 affluent colonies

New Delhi: A delegation of BJP MPs from Delhi on Thursday met union housing and urban affairs minister Manohar Lal Khattar and urged the Centre to regularise 69 affluent colonies and remove 200 colonies from the ‘O’ Zone (Yamuna floodplain) so that they can be brought under a formal planning framework with proper civic amenities.The delegation, which comprised Harsh Malhotra, Ramvir Singh Bidhuri, Manoj Tiwari, Yogendra Chandoliya, Praveen Khandelwal, Kamaljeet Sehrawat and Bansuri Swaraj, said that bringing these colonies into the legal fold would not only streamline urban governance but also enable provision of essential services such as water supply, sewerage and road infrastructure.These colonies were excluded from the recent regularisation of unauthorised colonies in Delhi on ‘as-is where-is’ basis.“Minister Khattar assured us that all matters would be considered sympathetically,” said south Delhi MP Bidhuri.“A looming threat hangs over 200 colonies across five assembly constituencies in Delhi due to their classification within the ‘O’ Zone. We urged for the regularisation of—and the provision of civic amenities to—69 ‘affluent’ colonies that were not included in the recent regularisation drive covering 1,511 colonies,” said Bidhuri.The MPs further demanded that roads where commercial establishments occupy more than 70% of the frontage should be officially designated as commercial streets in the capital. Additionally, they called for the desealing of 13,000 shops across various localities that have remained sealed for several years and the immediate notification of the master plan.The BJP MPs sought that for villages that have undergone urbanisation—and whose gram sabha land has been transferred to DDA—this land must be utilised solely for providing civic amenities to the villagers. “We suggested regularising the extended residential areas (lal dora) in the remaining villages of rural Delhi,” said Bidhuri.