Walia sets I-Day deadline for regularising 500 colonies
19 July 2012 6:30 AM IST
It could be freedom from the yoke of unauthorised tag for 500 colonies this Independence Day. Delhi urban development minister AK Walia in an exclusive interview to Millennium Post shared that the Delhi government is all set to regularise 500 colonies out of the list of 1,639 unauthorised colonies by 15 August this year.
Walia said, ‘I know that in the 2008 assembly elections we had promised to regularise the colonies if the Congress came back to power for the third term. Rules were formulated in 2008 itself but because of boundaries and clearance issues from various departments the regularisation process of unauthorised colonies was delayed.’
The urban development minister also defended the chief minister’s idea to trifurcate the MCD and refuted that the Delhi government is non-cooperative with the MCD. ‘The MCD should write to us instead of lamenting before the media. None of them is willing to come to us and inform us about the problem’, Walia said.
On being asked if the Congress is ready for the assembly elections, Walia said, ‘We would be banking on our developmental works across the city as massive projects were taken up and completed over the years. Unauthorised colonies would not be an issue and we are confident that we would again be in power despite resentment against price rise, which is a pan-national phenomenon.’
Walia who also holds the health department portfolio said, ‘During this year we are going to launch another 15 new hospitals. He claimed that the government was also all set to relaunch the trauma ambulance service in the city.’
Recalling his days as a medical practitioner, Walia said,’After practicing medicine for 19 years, I made a foray in to politics with the help of veteran Congress leader HKL Bhagat. My constituency (Laxmi Nagar) back then was faced with lot of basic problems in the civic amenities section. I was the head of the Vikas Marg Traders Association and was elected as member to the first Delhi legislative assembly in 1993’.
Walia is also planning to implement some key projects in his Laxmi Nagar constituency before the assembly elections slated for next year. He said, ‘Although most of the problems have been sorted out in my constituency, we would like to build a few more dispensaries and a mini stadium equipped with a gymnasium and a swimming pool near the Bank Enclave area’.
Walia said, ‘I know that in the 2008 assembly elections we had promised to regularise the colonies if the Congress came back to power for the third term. Rules were formulated in 2008 itself but because of boundaries and clearance issues from various departments the regularisation process of unauthorised colonies was delayed.’
The urban development minister also defended the chief minister’s idea to trifurcate the MCD and refuted that the Delhi government is non-cooperative with the MCD. ‘The MCD should write to us instead of lamenting before the media. None of them is willing to come to us and inform us about the problem’, Walia said.
On being asked if the Congress is ready for the assembly elections, Walia said, ‘We would be banking on our developmental works across the city as massive projects were taken up and completed over the years. Unauthorised colonies would not be an issue and we are confident that we would again be in power despite resentment against price rise, which is a pan-national phenomenon.’
Walia who also holds the health department portfolio said, ‘During this year we are going to launch another 15 new hospitals. He claimed that the government was also all set to relaunch the trauma ambulance service in the city.’
Recalling his days as a medical practitioner, Walia said,’After practicing medicine for 19 years, I made a foray in to politics with the help of veteran Congress leader HKL Bhagat. My constituency (Laxmi Nagar) back then was faced with lot of basic problems in the civic amenities section. I was the head of the Vikas Marg Traders Association and was elected as member to the first Delhi legislative assembly in 1993’.
Walia is also planning to implement some key projects in his Laxmi Nagar constituency before the assembly elections slated for next year. He said, ‘Although most of the problems have been sorted out in my constituency, we would like to build a few more dispensaries and a mini stadium equipped with a gymnasium and a swimming pool near the Bank Enclave area’.
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