The five-day anti-encroachment drive inGurugramconcluded on Wednesday (April 22), resulting in the demolition of over 6,500 illegal structures across nine colonies. The operation, spearheaded by the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP), aimed to reclaim public land and ensure wider carriageways for emergency vehicles.
The enforcement teams targeted key areas, including DLF Phase 1, DLF Phase 2, Palam Vihar, and Sushant Lok. Amit Madholia, district town planner for enforcement, reported significant actions against encroachments obstructing public spaces. These included the removal of boundary walls, ramps, kiosks, and guard rooms that had encroached upon roadways and green belts.
In DLF Phase 1, teams focused on Blocks C and E, where they cleared nearly 400 houses across 20 lanes.
Approximately 50 extended boundary walls and gates were demolished, along with over 130 encroaching lawns, fences, and gardens. Notably, Block E experienced severe violations, with some structures extending up to three feet into public land, significantly narrowing the roads.
While many residents welcomed the reclaiming of public land, others expressed concerns regarding the abruptness of the drive and its uneven enforcement. Rajiv Mehra, a resident of DLF Phase 2, told TOI, "Roads had kept shrinking due to unchecked extensions. This action was long overdue." In contrast, Neha Bansal from South City-1 noted that many residents were not given adequate time to respond, as some structures had existed for decades.
Officials confirmed that major encroachments removed included fencing, boundary walls, kiosks, hoardings, ramps, and illegal barricading. The operation at Palam Vihar was particularly extensive, with over 600 fencing structures and 650 ramps cleared.
A detailed report on the drive will be submitted to the headquarters in Chandigarh, and authorities have indicated that the campaign will continue. A monitoring committee will be established to prevent re-encroachment in the cleared areas.
Madholia urged residents to proactively remove any remaining violations, warning that enforcement teams would take action against any lingering encroachments without additional notice.
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