GURUGRAM: For the first time, three enforcement officers were appointed in the city to check mushrooming of illegal colonies that were carved out without seeking mandatory permissions from competent authorities. However, nothing much has changed on ground as violators continue to set up unauthorised colonies and cheat investors and prospective homebuyers of their hard-earned money.
Despite repeated actions and vigil by field staffers of the department of town and country planning (DTCP) and drone surveys among other measures, violators have developed such colonies in Gurgaon, Sohna, Farrukhnagar, Pataudi and other areas. Every week, at least five illegal colonies are razed in and around the city by the enforcement wing of the DTCP.
In July last year, the department had deputed two district town planners in the enforcement wing besides Manish Yadav to check the violations.
Yadav was assigned sectors 1 to 57 along with licensed colonies, while the second town planner was assigned sectors 58 to 80 along with Sohna and Gwalpahariwhile the third planner was given responsibility of sectors 81 to 115, Manesar, Pataudi, and Farrukhnagar.
Yadav said the town planners are carrying out demolition drives every week and razing unauthorised structures, including boundary walls and road network.
“We are also conducting awareness drives to prevent people from investing in such colonies and recommending FIRs against offenders,” he said.
A senior department official said, “Gurgaon is spread over 1,400sq-km area. The staff strength of DTCP is insufficient to prevent illegal colonies, illegal construction, encroachment and unauthorised commercial activities. The department is contesting over 200 cases related to land disputes and other issues falling under its jurisdiction, with some of these cases being in the Supreme Court and Punjab and Haryana high court.”
In December 2021, the deputy commissioner had directed the district town planner to carry out drone surveys to identify illegal colonies over 12,000 acres by various departments.
Also, a no-objection certificate from the department is required for registration deeds in villages which come under Section 7(1) of the Haryana Regulation and Development of Urban Areas Act, 1975. The system was updated to check mushrooming of illegal colonies and not to spare any unauthorised construction on agricultural land, which is in violation of the act.
The then DTCP director KM Pandurang had directed town planners to file police complaints against land owners and developers of illegal colonies and those who are behind the planning of such illegal activities.
About additional measures to check the illegal colonies, Yadav said the enforcement wing has intensified the action. “The teams are constantly on the move in areas prone to illegal colony development. We plan to file FIRs against the offenders and take support from police in keeping vigil in the area,” he said.
