New Delhi: Hardeep Singh Puri says registry for ownership rights in unauthorized colonies to start in 10 days

New Delhi (PTI): Registry for ownership rights of houses in Delhi's unauthorised colonies will start in the next 8-10 days, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said on Monday, accusing the AAP of spreading "lies" and misleading people on the issue.

Responding to AAP's allegation that Centre's scheme will neither regularise the colonies nor the houses there, Puri said the central government will soon hand over registry to the residents.

As politics between AAP and BJP over regularisation of unauthorised colonies intensified, AAP supremo and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal led the charge against against the Bharatiya Janata Party, saying it is "lying" for votes in the assembly elections due early next year. People living in unauthorised colonies play a vital role in deciding the fate of any political party in every election in the national capital.

"They (AAP) are weaving nets of words while registry will start in next 8-10 days to give ownership rights to people. You keep telling lies, and we (Centre) will soon hand over documents of houses to the residents of these colonies. You cannot be an obstacle in the happiness of Delhiites," Puri tweeted in Hindi. The Aam Aadmi Party is misleading people but the BJP-led Centre has brought laws, he said in reference to the Parliament passing a bill to give ownership rights to the residents of unauthorised colonies.

"...Tell, has the law been enacted or not? has the process of giving ownership rights to people begun or not? Their (AAP's) strategy is not to benefit people, and mislead them instead," Puri said. The Delhi Development Authority has completed the work on preparing maps of unauthorised colonies in just two months while 35,000 people have registered themselves on its website and submitted documents, he said. In another tweet, the Union housing and urban affairs minister accused the Kejriwal government of failing to prepare maps of 1,731 colonies in the past five years and they moved a court seeking two-year-time for the same.

Earlier in the day, Kejriwal said at a press conference that political parties indulge in politics, but if government starts furnishing wrong information, it is saddening. Citing (FAQ) frequently asked questions from DDA website on unauthorised colonies, Kejriwal claimed that neither central government is giving ownership rights nor regularising them.

"The FAQs about PM UDAY scheme has a question --- 'Is this scheme meant for regularisation of unauthorised colonies?'. The reply says, 'No this scheme is not for the regularisation of unauthorised colones or the structures therein'. It means that there is no regularisation of colony or the home. What is it?," Kejriwal asked. There are hoardings in every corner of Delhi which talk about regularisation of unauthorised colonies, he said, accusing the BJP of lying for getting votes. "Has even one person got the registry in his name?...People should not be fooled like this. Do concrete work and ask people for votes. We made roads and lanes and nobody can question our work..." the chief minister said.