Gurugram DTP faces heat for selective demolition, alleged class bias

The Congress also questioned why areas like Golf Course Road and Sohna Road, known for rampant multi-storey violations and unauthorised extensions, have seen no meaningful action

The Congress on Thursday accused Gurugram’s District Town Planner (DTP) team of adopting a discriminatory, heavy-handed approach in its anti-encroachment drives, targeting poor hawkers while sparing politically connected violators.

Activists say enforcement is largely symbolic, protecting vested interests while violating zoning laws and safety norms. (HT Archive)

Congress leader Pankaj Dawar alleged that while bulldozers are routinely deployed against street vendors and stallholders, officials have ignored illegal structures owned by powerful businesspeople, elite hospitals, and high-end showrooms.

“Why do DTP officials readily demolish a poor man’s tea stall, yet lack the courage to touch unauthorised extensions in upscale commercial hubs?” he asked. “The government claims to be pro-poor, yet its agencies harass those whose votes brought them to power.”

Despite its location in the city’s heart, the 900-metre stretch around the Indian Air Force (IAF) ammunition depot in Sector 14 is riddled with unauthorised commercial buildings, banquet halls, extended floors, and illegal encroachments. Rules prohibit such activity near public health and defense facilities, yet only token actions—like notices and selective demolitions—have been taken. Activists say enforcement is largely symbolic, protecting vested interests while violating zoning laws and safety norms.

The Congress also questioned why areas like Golf Course Road and Sohna Road, known for rampant multi-storey violations and unauthorised extensions, have seen no meaningful action. “Demolition drives are becoming spectacles aimed at the poor, while the rich continue unhindered,” Dawar said.

Former state finance minister Captain Ajay Singh Yadav (retd) echoed the sentiment. “Why is a chaiwala near the bus stand the face of illegal encroachment, while rooftop restaurants, basement parking violations, and full floors without occupancy certificates in elite zones go untouched?” he said. “Even when action is taken in posh areas, it’s quietly reversed days later.”

Street vendors say the fear is palpable. Sohan Lal, 42, who has run a drinks stall near the Gurugram bus stand for over a decade, said, “Every siren, every official car fills me with dread. I make ₹200-300 a day. But I’m the encroacher? What about the building next to the mall that’s swallowed a public drain?”

Naresh Yadav, who sells phone covers from a cart nearby, said vendors are treated like pests. “They threaten to seize our carts but won’t touch illegal green belt encroachments,” he said.

DTP RS Batth, nodal officer for the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, said, “We regularly demolish illegal structures and coordinate with local bodies to ensure compliance. Some violations reappear, and repeated action is necessary.”