KOLHAPUR: The Kolhapur Urban Area Development Authority (KUADA) has decided to regularise the illegal constructions in the 42 villages located along the fringe of the city.The decision was taken on Tuesday and the owners of the illegal constructions have to approach the authority before December 31.The KUADA jurisdiction extends to the Kolhapur Municipal Corporation (KMC) area and these 42 villages. However, as the KMC has already initiated the process of regularisation, the KUADA decision on Tuesday will not be applicable to the illegal constructions from the city.Residents of these fringe villages will have to seek regularisation of the illegal structures, which would otherwise have faced demolition. Though the authority does not have an estimate of the illegal constructions in these areas, almost 50% of the structures outside the gaothan areas are suspected to have been constructed without permission.KUADA will apply the town planning rules for regularising the constructions, which means the owners must ensure that the structures does not obstruct traffic, has adequate space for parking and drainage lines connected to the nearby sewage facility.Shivraj Patil, chief executive officer of KUADA, said, "The state government has allowed regularisation of the illegal constructions from the civic limits along with those from the special development authority jurisdiction. The constructions should have come up before December 2017."He added that they would charge the premium as per the rules to regularise the constructions. The owners have to submit the maps and other details of the constructions certified by the empanelled architect. This will be scrutinised and then decision will be taken whether to regularise the structure or not.However, apart from the CEO, there is no other technical staff appointed as of now since the KUADA started its functions in February this year. The office of KUADA has been started at the central building as Kasba Bawda.Patil said that the authority has started issuing the building permissions and the office of town planning of the state government has been affiliated with it for time being."I have submitted a proposal for appointment of the staff of 47 posts in KUADA. Once the state government approves the plan before this month-end, I will initiate the recruitment process," added Patil.On Tuesday, KUADA has also decided to draft a policy to allow construction on the gunthewari plots, which have been regularised either by the grampanchayat or the revenue department.

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