Thaindian News

Chandigarh, Dec 11 (IANS) Ahead of the assembly polls next year, the Punjab government has decided to regularise unauthorised colonies within all municipal limits of the state.

“All unauthorised construction would be regularised under this new policy,” a government spokesman said here Sunday.

The decision was taken here at a meeting of the cabinet Saturday evening. The meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.

“In view of the problems of the public, a policy has been framed under which the concerned local municipal institutions would identify and demarcate the unauthorised colonies being developed along the existing developed areas,” he said.

“The identification would ensure no unauthorised colonies may be developed in future. Concerned municipal institutions would approve the building plans in the demarcated areas after charging the requisite development fee from the colonisers,” he added.

The cabinet has also decided to take the strictest possible action against any illegal construction in future in the urban areas to curb the practice of developing such colonies.

Assembly elections to Punjab’s 90-member assembly are likely to be held in February-March next year.

In another sop, the government decided to give up to 200 units of free electricity for domestic consumption every month to poor people. The state government had earlier raised the number of beneficiaries under the poor people category from 10 lakh to 15 lakh.

The government has also decided not to recover the arrears of tubewell bills from farmers for the period during which the free power facility was not given to them.