
Rs 1.5k-cr govt land cleared of scrap godowns & sheds in Gurgaon
Originally acquired by
Haryana Urban Development Authority
(now HSVP) in the late 1970s, this area was meant for developing a sector.
The team cleared about 15 acres of Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP)-owned land till evening. An HSVP official said the enforcement will continue on Wednesday, with a total of around 22 acres set to be cleared in the coming days. The official said, "Any future attempts to encroach will lead to FIRs and strict legal action."
The drive saw heavy police deployment from Sector 22 police station. The enforcement was carried out in the presence of district nodal officer RS Batth along with a team of HSVP officials. Duty magistrate and SDE Surendra Babbar was also present. Soon after the operation began around noon, it faced resistance from locals and land claimants. Heated arguments broke out at the site, but Batth intervened, urging them to vacate peacefully.
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Over the years, this vacant land had turned into an illegal waste dumping and processing spot. Residents said some of the landowners rented out their plots to small-scale waste management firms for around Rs 30,000-Rs 40,000 per month. Last year, a major fire broke out, which took the fire department six hours to douse the flames.
Batth said no structures can be built on land under litigation and asked the encroachers to remove their belongings before Wednesday's enforcement drive.
"We won't tolerate any encroachment on govt land. We will follow the law, offer time to vacate, but will not hesitate to take strict action if needed," Batth said.
According to an HSVP official, two days prior to the operation, public announcements were made in the area warning occupants to vacate the land. The drive was carried out as per orders from HSVP estate officer-I Rakesh Saini.
In 2013, Punjab and Haryana high court ruled that only vacant plots could be acquired by the state govt. Those on which construction was carried out could not be acquired unless the land was needed for setting up essential public utilities such as roads, water and electricity infrastructure, the HC said. Haryana govt subsequently appealed against this decision and the case is pending before Supreme Court.

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