In a petition challenging illegal colonies in the state, the Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh high court was told on Monday that it was the state government who was the one objecting to these colonies’ regularization. In the petition filed by Ramgopal Sharma through advocate Manohar Dalal, a rejoinder was furnished on the basis of replies submitted by state government and IMC on Monday.
The rejoinder alleged that while on one hand the state government said that the responsibility of regularising illegal colonies rests with the municipal corporation and not the government, it has raised many objections to the process in the city.
According to the petitioners, the state had raised objections over regularizing these colonies constructed on areas demarcated for green belts and industrial areas. The IMC in its reply has said that for these colonies to be regularised, the state will have to change its master plan accordingly.
“There are a total of 434 illegal colonies in IMC’s area of jurisdiction and 73 illegal colonies in the 29 new villages added to the corporation limits. Most of the objections on the regularisation of these colonies is by the state government, which shows the conflict between the two. We have highlighted this in our rejoinder,” advocate Manohar Dalal said.
The areas in the city where illegal colonies have been constructed according to the petitioner’s statements are Khajrana, Bypass, Nipania, Jhalaria, Sirpur, Banganga, Chitawad, Pipliyarao, Bilawali and Chhot Bangarda.
In a reply to this, the collector had submitted the actual positions of all the survey numbers mentioned by the petitioner, highlighting that most of the constructions challenged by the petitioner were made on private land, for which the process of regularisation can be done.
