UDHAM SINGH NAGAR: The Udham Singh Nagar district administration is maintaining its ban on property registrations in at least 790 illegally constructed colonies, which were identified earlier this year in May. A report detailing the violations and offering feasible solutions has been submitted to the housing secretary, with the next steps contingent on guidance from the state government.
Pankaj Upadhyay, the secretary of the district development authority, stated, “The registration of plots in all identified illegal colonies has been halted. A comprehensive proposal addressing the issues faced and actions taken so far has been sent to the state government through the housing secretary. Further actions will follow pending directives.”
The crackdown commenced in May when the district administration tasked all sub-divisional magistrates (SDMs) to conduct surveys and report on unauthorized colonies. This investigation revealed widespread misuse of agricultural land, with many colonies being established against land-use regulations, and numerous plots sold to unaware buyers. Officials noted that several of these developments were associated with politically influential individuals.
The report indicates that the most significant number of illegal colonies were found in Kashipur (175), followed by Kichha (125) and Bazpur (115). Additional colonies were noted in Jaspur, Rudrapur, and Sitarganj. In Bazpur, for instance, up to 25 colonies were developed on a consolidated area spanning eight villages. In response to these findings, the administration provided sub-registrars with a list of Khasra numbers and mandated a strict cessation of plot registrations in these locations.
