VDA unable to check spurt in illegal colonies

VARANASI: Hundreds of new and unplanned colonies have mushroomed on the city outskirts, especially along Mohansarai-Alinagar Bypass Road. The land apparently belongs to farmers who sell it to buyers, but sources say that it's a new strategy adopted by land mafia to come up with illegal colonies.
The farmers are taken into confidence by mafia to sell their land to an individual.The mafia then plan a colony on the land. Once the sale deed is signed, the mafia develop a colony on the land, while flouting norms like proper width of the road, sewer and water connection etc. This method saves the mafia the trouble of approaching the Varanasi Development Authority for approval of map and payment of charges for the same. Besides, as they flout norms, it saves them money on construction of a colony. The VDA comes to know of the anomalies only when the residents lodge complaints about absence of facilities.
Colonies like Gayatri Nagar, Om Nagar and Bajrang Nagar have sprouted along the highways recently. However, they lack basic infrastructure. Pintoo, a shop owner in Dhapi, complained, "I had bought a plot in a colony along the highway. But, there are no sewer lines in the locality and the roads are just 8-12 ft wide. The other facilities are also missing.''
The VDA is helpless as farmers selling their land can't be termed as an offense. The question is that why the VDA passes the maps of such buildings in the first place. On this, VDA, vice-chairman R P Goswami said that the maps of such buildings are passed after collecting sub-divisional charges just to keep track of new constructions.
In fact, after a survey conducted in 2000-01 by the VDA to know the actual number of illegally developed residential colonies, 210 illegal colonies had come to light. Since then no fresh survey has been conducted.
Goswami said that in 2008 a Government Order containing the new guidelines to regularise the illegal colonies was issued. Five colonies -- Bhagirathi Nagar (Nagwa), Gokul Nagar extension (Tulsipur), Ramapuri (Bhelupur), Maninagar (Kandava) and Prakashpuri (Birdopur) -- were selected for regularisation. However, when the VDA started surveying these colonies the agency failed to trace the developers.
Then the VDA decided to prepare the layout of these five colonies to ensure their development as per the provisions prescribed in the GO. Till now, the VDA has finalised the layout of three out of five colonies. "The estimated cost of the development of three colonies has also been prepared. After seeking the approval of VDA Board, the process of issuing notices to the house owners of the same colonies would begin. It would be followed by collection of development charges,'' Goswami said.
The point to be noted is that the VDA has taken more than a decade to decide the fate of five colonies. At this pace, task of regularization of illegal colonies would need several decades.
In the meantime, the land mafia continue their activities unchecked. The records of VDA reveal that after the detection of 210 illegally developed colonies in 2000-01, the then vice-chairperson had tried to take action against developers of such colonies, who had formed societies. After issuing notices to those developers, the VDA had also lodged FIRs against 79 of them. However, the move had no positive outcome.