Chandigarh, July 7 -- With the amended Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (PAPR) Rules likely to be notified this week, the state government is eyeing regularisation of 5,000 unauthorised colonies, many of which have remained outside the planning framework despite repeated amnesty schemes over the years. The last such regularisation drive took place eight years ago. The new policy gives developers and resident welfare associations until September 30 to seek regularisation. Officials estimate that Ludhiana alone accounts for nearly 2,000 unauthorised colonies, the highest in the state. Previous regularisation policies were introduced in 2013, 2016 and 2018, but achieved limited success. On July 3, the Punjab cabinet approved an amendment to Rule 31 of the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation (PAPR) Rules, paving the way for a simplified regularisation process for eligible colonies across the state. According to official records, around 2,000 of nearly 7,000 illegal colonies identified under the earlier policies were eventually regularised, with most applications rejected because promoters failed to submit mandatory ownership, planning and revenue documents. A senior officer in the department of housing and urban development said the current estimate of illegal colonies stands at around 5,000, most of them located outside municipal corporation limits. Applications under the new policy will be accepted till September 30. The last policy, notified in March 2018, covered colonies developed before March 19, 2018, while promising strict action against new illegal developments. However, unauthorised colonies continued to mushroom across the state. The revised policy seeks to widen eligibility by allowing regularisation of colonies where at least 25% of plots are already built-up. Such colonies will also be eligible in notified local planning areas and on agricultural land earmarked in Master Plans, except under the GMADA Regional Plan. The policy prescribes a minimum 20-foot-wide road, permits plot sizes between 50 and 239.2 square yards, and allows colonies rejected under earlier policies to apply afresh. Authorities will issue provisional regularisation certificates within 30 days of receiving complete applications. RWAs can apply on behalf of colonies and will be exempt from certain provisions of RERA, though promoters or RWAs must secure all statutory approvals and no-objection certificates. The policy also lays down compounding and regularisation charges linked to prevailing collector rates. Once a colony receives provisional approval, individual plot owners can obtain regularisation certificates and register their properties after paying the prescribed fee, paving the way for legal ownership and building permissions. Rule 31 of the Punjab Apartment and Property Regulation Rules provides a mechanism for the compounding of offences relating to unauthorised colonies. Under the rule, a promoter or developer who has developed an unauthorised colony may apply to the competent authority for compounding of the offence, either before or after prosecution has been initiated....