Gurugram: MCG removes squatters from 11 areas in one day

Encroachments were cleared from Sadar Bazaar, Jacobpura, Rajiv Chowk, Sohna Road, Subhash Chowk, Tikri village, sectors 40, 44, 45, Silokhra and Sikanderpur on Monday.

In a major drive against illegal occupants of civic land, three enforcement teams from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) cleared encroachments from 11 areas in the city. Some of these encroachments were believed to be causing congestion on arterial roads.

Three enforcement teams from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram cleared encroachments that were causing congestion on arterial roads of Gurugram.

The encroachments were cleared from Sadar Bazaar, Jacobpura, Rajiv Chowk, Sohna Road, Subhash Chowk, Tikri village, sectors 40, 44, 45, Silokhra and Sikanderpur.

According to MCG officials, the main reasons for carrying out the anti-encroachment drive were to ease congestion on the main roads, large chunks of which had been encroached upon, and for reclaiming civic land. Areas such as Rajiv Chowk, Sohna Road, and Subash Chowk were chosen as they are accessed by thousands of motorists every day.

Similarly, market spaces were also heavily crammed and further encroachment posed a threat to rescue or evacuation efforts in case of an emergency. Narrow lanes in Sadar Bazaar, Jacobpura and Sikanderpur were freed of encroachments,

At Tikri village, sectors 40, 44 and 45, MCG officials said that people had established illegal settlement areas such as shanties that prompted them to carry out the drive.

“There was a major drive carried out by MCG officials based on complaints of encroachment from residents and the survey team. This testifies that the MCG has increased its surveillance of encroachments. Such drives will continue in the coming days,” SS Rohilla, MCG public relations officer, said.

Rohilla added that MCG officials seized the equipment of street vendors and removed shanties built on public land. The process of verifying whether the violators had been found guilty of the same offence on a previous occasion are ongoing. Repeat offenders could face stringent fines and legal action.

The MCG is using the assistance of geographical information system for identifying encroachments. It has also started a helpline number—1800-180-1817—for residents to lodge complaints against squatters.