The decision by the Lokayukta came after Lt Governor Tejendra Khanna last month asked him to file a final report on the politically sensitive matter for taking appropriate action.
The Lokayukta had earlier sent an interim report to Khanna and recommended issuance of an advisory to the Urban Development department of Delhi government finding it guilty of “en-masse” grant of provisional regularisation certificates to the unauthorised colonies without proper verification.
The Lokayukta will launch a full investigation into the matter. Last year, a committee, headed by the then Divisional Commissioner Vijay Dev, had found serious wrongdoings in the process of issuance of provisional regularisation certificates (PRCs) and recommended criminal proceedings against those involved in the irregularities.
The committee said certain non existent colonies were issued PRCs. As per norms, unauthorised colonies, which had come up prior to 31st March 2002, and which had 50 per cent built-up area as on 8th February 2007, were eligible for PRCs.
It had highlighted alleged nexus among land grabbers, real estate mafia and Resident Welfare Associations and certain elements in government departments concerned to procure PRCs by filing “bogus” documents.
In his interim report to the Lt Governor, Justice Sarin said PRCs were issued without any physical verification of the unauthorised colonies, some of which were “plain” fields.
The government is in the process of providing basic infrastructure like roads, electricity and drainage in the colonies. “It appears prima facie that en-masse PRCs were granted without regard to eligibility, for extraneous reasons and considerations to appease a large segment of people and for benefit of certain sections,” the report said.
The government had issued notices to a number of colonies following submission of the report by Vijay Dev and initiated process to cancel their PRCs.
The government, in September, announced regularising 895 unauthorised colonies and promised to regularise the remaining ones soon.