GB Nagar admin razes shops, offices on ‘enemy land’

Land that was abandoned by the owners when they migrated to Pakistan after the Partition is called “enemy land”. The Centre is obligated to protect such properties from encroachment, said officials

In a major crackdown on encroachments that came up on “enemy property” in Greater Noida’s Dadri, the Gautam Budh Nagar administration on Wednesday demolished 48 shops and two offices in Shahberi, said officials.

The administration on Wednesday demolished 48 shops and two offices in Shahberi, said officials. (HT Photo)

Land that was abandoned by the owners when they migrated to Pakistan after the Partition is called “enemy land”. The Centre is obligated to protect such properties from encroachment, said officials.

The administration on Wednesday vowed to demolish another 100 shops that came on abandoned or enemy land in the coming days.

The demolition drive was carried out by a team of revenue officials, led by additional district magistrate Mangalesh Dubey and subdivisional magistrate, Dadri, Anuj Nehra, with the help of two earthmovers. A police party was present at the spot to offer officials security.

“As many as 48 shops and two offices, built illegally by people in Dadri’s Shahberi, on the area earmarked as enemy property, have been demolished. The enforcement squad has identified 100 more shops built illegally in the area and these will also be facing demolition soon”, said district magistrate Manish Kumar Verma.

According to the Gautam Budh Nagar administration, “several people left behind their property in Dadri and migrated to Pakistan during the Indo-Pakistan War of 1947 and also subsequent conflicts.

These properties were deemed “enemy land” because they belonged to individuals who were considered enemies of the state due to their migration to an enemy country.

In India, the Enemy Property Act, 1968, was enacted to manage and dispose of such land.

The enforcement drive was carried out peacefully, with no resistance from the owners of the shops and offices, said officials.

The Gautam Budh Nagar administration has warned that similar action will be taken against other illegal constructions in the area.

The demolition drive is part of a larger effort to crack down on constructions on enemy land in the district, said officials.

The Gautam Budh Nagar in February 2022 identified and demarcated around 25 bighas (15.4 acres) of enemy property in Noida’s Barola village. The property, valued at ₹200 crore and located on DSC Road, has been encroached upon by land mafia.

The administration in 2022 engaged the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to protect the land on which unauthorised commercial complexes were built .