Jaipur development body plans to issue lease deeds to residents of unapproved colonies

JAIPUR: The Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) is planning to issue deeds to residents of unapproved colonies. Officials claimed, the civic authority might set up camps from April under the Shahar Abhiyan (2023-24).

“No formal notice to start the camps has been issued. However, once the dates and other schedules are made clear, authorities will take up the work of setting up these. Last year the civic body targeted 150 colonies. With state elections around the corner this time the number might be more,” said a senior JDA official.

Since 2019, after the Congress government came to power, enforcement officers razed more than 650 colonies built illegally across the city. However, JDA regularised a few illegal colonies which were old and populated.

“In 2021, JDA targeted to issue approximately 3 lakh lease deeds to plot owners living in unauthorised colonies in its jurisdiction. This was approximately 30% of the overall target of the state government as it planned to issue at least 10 lakh lease deeds across the state,” another official added.

Officials said the decision was taken as enforcement officials were razing new illegal colonies even as old ones stood unaffected. JDA could not raze them overnight as they had grown over decades.

“Either you raze them and rehabilitate the residents or convert the land by using the JDA Act and issue deeds. In both cases JDA would generate revenue, and the residents would get legal accommodations,” said an official.

JDA has also sent a recommendation to the UD department to regularise constructions in colonies near high tension lines, said the official.

“If this proposal is accepted, at least 20,000 families in Prithviraj Nagar will get lease deeds for their buildings,” added the official.