PANCHKULA: The Haryana government has regularized 26 colonies statewide through a notification issued earlier this month, yet none from Panchkula district are included in this list.
This situation arises despite repeated commitments from the BJP-led Panchkula municipal corporation to regularize local settlements. Last year, former mayor Kulbhushan Goyal proposed to regularize illegal colonies by offering 1-marla plots at the 2004 collector rates to eligible families residing there for over two decades, but the proposal was never approved.
Nearly 70 colonies in the Pinjore-Kalka region, along with several in Panchkula city, have been awaiting regularization for years. Areas like Gandhi Colony, Indira Colony, Rajiv Colony, and Kharak Mangoli continue to face deplorable living conditions, with residents surrounded by open drains, heaps of garbage, stagnant water, livestock movement, and insufficient basic amenities.
Attempts at rehabilitation or regulation have failed, ensuring the expansion of these settlements over time. Successive governments have made promises regarding regularization or rehabilitation, yet the issue remains unresolved.
Vijay Bansal, president of Shivalik Vikas Manch, stated that following the formation of the Panchkula Municipal Corporation and the merger of the Pinjore and Kalka civic bodies, many settlements were labeled unauthorized, stripping residents of essential civic amenities such as roads, drains, parks, and community halls. Under Section 7A of the Urban Act, residents have struggled to obtain building plan approvals, secure bank loans, or register properties.
“The ongoing exclusion of colonies illustrates the government’s discriminatory stance towards the Kalka constituency. While hundreds of colonies across Haryana have been regularized, Kalka and Panchkula remain overlooked, despite their strategic location and population density,” claimed Bansal, a senior Congress leader in the area.
In response to the criticism, Panchkula BJP president Ajay Mittal mentioned he hadn’t seen the notification yet but noted that the BJP has previously allocated plots and houses under various programs.
