NEW DELHI: After a long wait, East Azad Nagar was fully regularized in April last year and became the first unauthorized colony to get an approved layout map. But development and better civic facilities still elude it. With congested lanes, dangling wires and overflowing drains, it looks no different from its neighbouring colony, Kanti Nagar, which is yet to get the tag.
Most of East Azad Nagar Colony was regularized in 1977 but three of its lanes, which now house around 100 homes, were left out. After the process was complete, residents of East Azad Nagar had hoped last year that they would be able to access civic services legally and lawfully engage in sale and purchase of property.
However, in the past one year, the colony hasn’t seen any development. Under the regularization norms, Its resident welfare association (RWA) was asked to hand over four vacant plots to East Delhi Municipal Corporation for community services like a hospital, park and a school. But the colony doesn’t have any vacant plot.
“We wanted the regularization tag so that we can get building plans sanctioned from the corporation,” said Ricky Khanna, a resident. However, roads are yet to be widened and parking is still a huge problem. Only sanitation has improved and roads were repaired even before the regularization was complete.
Rakesh Gupta, a property dealer, said the property rates of both East Azad Nagar and Kanti Nagar were almost the same. “Both colonies have similar problems and Kanti Nagar is among 1,639 colonies which are to be regularized,” he said.
Residents of Kanti Nagar, however, list out the benefits that the neighbouring colony enjoys. “They can easily get loans from banks while we have to ask our relatives or friends for money,” said Yog Prakash Sharma, pradhan, Kanti Nagar. They are hopeful that things will improve once the colony is regularized.
“We want the regularization tag for loans, to get registry done and so that our existence becomes legal. We can then sell and buy properties easily. But expecting development in the form of a hospital, wider roads, schools and a community hall will be wrong. There is no space left for it,” said Arun Jain, a resident of Kanti Nagar.
With a Metro line coming in the area, property rates have already gone up. Now with regularization on the card, people are in talks with builders. “The main problem in both colonies is that they can’t be redeveloped,” said Sharma. Even corporation officials say planning infrastructure projects is going to be difficult. “Creating space will mean demolishing houses for civic amenities,” said a senior East Corporation official.
