The gloom in the BJP camp was evident from state unit president Mange Ram Garg's and Sahib Singh's statements today.

``The people should know that irrespective of the court's directive,'' said the chief minister, ``development work initiated by us in the unauthorised will continue. We will go on building roads, the sewage system and waterways in the unauthorised colonies. We have sought the court's permission for this,'' the CM said.

The government predictably blamed the Congress for ``sabotaging'' its plan to regularise unauthorised colonies.

In an affidavit filed before the court, the state government had submitted a list of guidelines as a pre-condition for approval of unauthorised colonies. It included the imposition of development charges at the rate of Rs 514 per square foot, facilities for providing civic amenities and the rider that the colonies should have come up before March 31, 1993.

Delhi government counsel Geeta Luthra asked that the court should give its immediate assent so that part of the long-pending problem could be solved.

However, a division bench comprising Justices Y.K. Sabharwal and K.S. Gupta, said that it would vet the guidelines before issuing an order. ``First the court directed us to put the unauthorised private and government in separate categories. The September-3 hearing was put for the private colonies and September 17 for the unauthorised colonies built on government land. Now they want a composite list and fixed October 13 for the hearing''.

The BJP state Congress president, Mange Ram Garg, today urged the Chief Minister to file a petition in the Supreme Court against the HC verdict.``So that these 1,300 unauthorised colonies can be regularised and the development works intensified,'' he said.

Garg also asked the government to file a petition for reviewing the apex court judgement on phasing out of 15-year-old vehicles from the city roads by early October. ``The livelihood of autorickshaw and commercial vehicle operators should be ensured,'' Garg said.

When the CM asked about the deteriorating air pollution of the Capital, he said, ``Not all the 15-year-old vehicles are polluting. Power should be placed with us to check and review the polluting vehicles,'' he said.