Encroachments

On April 24, the SC told the central government to rid Delhi of all encroachments on public land in two weeks. The STF, made up of top officials from the Delhi Development Authority, Delhi police, the city’s three municipal corporations and the New Delhi Municipal Council, is the first of its kind set up to evict squatters in the national capital.

“Several pavements along these stretches were heavily encroached on by the vendors. Though some of them were issued tehbazari licences, they were also found to be violating the licensing norms. This was leading to heavy traffic jams...” said a South Delhi Municipal Corporation official attached to the licensing department. Tehbazari licences are granted to temporary or makeshift shops that aren’t supposed to have roofs; no cooking is permitted at such shops. “But at certain places we found illegally operational tandoors, which are not only unlicensed but are also dangerous,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

At Greater Kailash-i, encroachments around the Archana Complex crossing were removed and items such as compressors, gas cylinders and racks used by hawkers were seized by the anti-encroachment squad.

Besides, 18 temporary structures and one permanent structure were demolished by the licensing department of SDMC and Delhi Police near Modi Mill in the Okhla Industrial Area.

“During the drive, we were successful in vacating a five-acre government land. An unauthorised fish market was operating here for years. The land was vacated in a joint action. The land belongs to the Delhi Development Authority and they have been asked to setup a fence around the area,” said the SDMC official.

In east Delhi, 61 vehicles were impounded from the Shastri Park, Seelampur and Dilshad Garden areas. The north corporation impounded 17 vehicles from the main road facing Red Fort. “The vehicles were taken to the warehouses owned by the DDA and the municipalities, and challaned as per the Delhi Municipal Corporation Act. The minimum amount of challan is ₹5,400 per day, and it will keep increasing, depending on the weight of the vehicles,” said special commissioner of police (traffic) Depender Pathak.