Bhopal: Madhya Pradesh has 6,800 unauthorized colonies

BHOPAL (Madhya Pradesh): There are 6,800 illegal colonies in Madhya Pradesh. After initiative of department urban development and housing, Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) has released list of 209 colonies, which have to be legalised after receiving compounding fee, according to BMC official.

These illegal residential colonies were developed 25 years back. But colonisers had not taken permission. So these colonies were treated as illegal and BMC did not undertake any development work.

These colonies are situated along Hoshangabad Road, Bairgarh, Airport Road, Raisen Road, Khajurikalan, Bhanpur, Semra, Chhola, Karond, Aishbag, Gulmohar, Bagsewania, Damkheda, Narela Sankari, Nayapura, Berasia Road, Gas Rahat Colony, Vidisha Road. The government bought an Act to legalise unauthorised colonies in December 2021.

Urban development and housing minister Bhupendra Singh had made the announcement in House. He had said that the compounding fee to legalise colonies would be increased from 10 per cent to 20 per cent.

The government has been planning to legalise these colonies for a long time. The High Court objected to the plan in June 2019. According to the court, since there is no rule to legalise unauthorised colonies, the government should keep away from doing that. Section 15 was added to MP Nagar Palika Registration Restriction and Conditions Rule, 1988, to legalise unauthorised colonies.

But after High Courtís objection, government amended the law to restart the process to legalise unauthorised colonies.

There are 6,800 illegal colonies in the state. During civic polls in 2014, chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had announced that the unauthorised colonies would be legalised. But it could not be done because of the legal process involved.