GMDA cracks down on illegal generators, kitchens in Gurugram

Installing generators on public roads is not only a violation of traffic safety norms and urban development regulations, but also amounts to encroachment of public space, officials said

In a sweeping enforcement drive on Monday, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) issued notices to 10 commercial establishments in Sector 29 for installing generators on public roads and setting up kitchens adjacent to Leisure Valley Park, in violation of civic norms. The move follows complaints from park visitors over environmental pollution and public obstruction, officials said on Monday.

The GMDA has warned restaurant owners to remove generators and relocate their roadside kitchens within a week or face further action. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The GMDA has warned restaurant owners to remove generators and relocate their roadside kitchens within a week or face further action. “There are a number of kitchens also set up on this road, which face the park, and smoke from these kitchens is not conducive for the visitors. We have received complaints and now issued notices to shift the generators and fix the kitchens,” said RS Bhath, district town planner, Gurugram.

Installing generators on public roads is not only a violation of traffic safety norms and urban development regulations, but also amounts to encroachment of public space, officials said. In coordination with the Gurugram Traffic Police, the civic body also undertook a traffic enforcement exercise. Ten challans were issued on Monday for illegal parking near the Leisure Valley parking area, traffic officials said.

Notices to 72 more violators on master roads

In a separate but related enforcement effort, GMDA’s enforcement wing conducted a drive across key GMDA master roads, including sectors 47, 49, 50, 51, and 57. A total of 72 notices were issued to violators along stretches from Sheeshpal Vihar to Baani Square and along Mayfield Garden to Golf Course Extension Road, covering 2.3 km of Sohna Road and a 2.3 km stretch of the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR).

Of these, 48 notices were issued to property owners who had erected unauthorised temporary structures such as khokhas, tin sheds, nurseries, and building material shops on the 30-metre right of way (ROW) of GMDA roads.

Additionally, 24 notices were issued for creating illegal direct access from private properties onto the master roads without seeking the required permissions. Bhath warned of zero tolerance for such violations: “Our objective is to make all owners aware that direct access to their establishments from the master roads of GMDA is not allowed. They need to seek due permission on this matter.”

He added that GMDA plans to develop service roads along these stretches to decongest major roads and improve traffic flow.