HSVP demolishes 300 hutments at Panchkula’s Fatehpur Colony, reclaims 7 acres

The demolition drive started on Friday morning when around 200 policemen, along with 100 staff of HSVP, descended on what they said was an illegal colony

In a massive demolition drive, the Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) on Friday razed 300 hutments at Fatehpur Colony in Sector 20 and reclaimed seven acres of illegally occupied land.

HSVP demolishing illegal hutments at Fatehpur Colony in Sector 20, Panchkula, on Friday. (Sant Arora/HT)

The drive started on Friday morning when around 200 policemen, along with 100 staff of HSVP, descended on what they said was an illegal colony. The team proceeded with the demolition amid residents’ pleas of having lived here for more than a decade.

“The colony residents have regular water and electricity connections. They have also been paying property tax, so how can they term the settlement illegal?” questioned a displaced resident.

As many as 59 families also claimed that they had stay orders from court, but their structures were also brought down.

The residents tried to protest, seeking some time to vacate, but they were removed from the site by the deployed police force.

As per HSVP, the illegal occupation of land began with 50 hutments in 2011, but their number grew to over 330 a decade later.

“We cleared seven acres of land of illegal occupation. The occupants were duly informed about demolition through beating of drums (munadi) on June 1, but they failed to move out,” said Manav Malik, estate officer, HSVP.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) Sumer Partap Singh said, “No illegal occupation or encroachment will be tolerated. Teams at police station level have been constituted to patrol their respective areas and ensure no illegal encroachment crops up in their area.”