According to officials, Aravali violations account for the majority of the department’s anti-encroachment efforts, particularly farmhouses that have developed all over the protected Aravali foothills due to the land’s private ownership pattern.
The Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) is reorganizing to form a new section dedicated to clearing encroachments in the Aravalis. In addition to the two existing DTPs in Gurgaon’s planning and enforcement wings, two district town planners (DTPs) would be appointed.
For follow-ups, the department has built an online database of all show-cause and restoration notices, as well as FIRs, relating to the illegal building since 1975. According to officials, Aravali violations account for the majority of the department’s anti-encroachment efforts, particularly farmhouses that have developed all over the protected Aravali foothills due to the land’s private ownership pattern.
According to DTCP director-general KM Pandurang, “there is a plan to restructure the department and form a special wing to make enforcement more effective with an emphasis on the Aravalis.” In Gurugram, the number of district town planners would be increased from two to four, with their zones divided.
The new enforcement branch will also monitor the internet data of all show-cause and restoration notifications, as well as FIRs, according to Pandurang, and pending cases would be resolved. “If the department discovers that no action was done after issuing notices and filing FIRs, the officials involved would be investigated,” he said.
In terms of steps conducted against illegal colonies, the DTCP chief stated that various anti-encroachment drives had taken place in the last year. “Officials have been given strong orders to stop these colonies at the outset, failing which they would become occupied, making it harder for us to intervene,” he stated.
Pandurang praised the Gurgaon team for their accomplishment in razing the freshly carved out illegal colonies, but he said that “around 20% of the duty is still waiting and needs to be done in a more effective manner.” Five to six unlawful farmhouse colonies in and around Gurgaon, including Bandhwari and Raisina, have been razed in the last six months as a result of the department’s tough action.
The DTCP head also stated that he has asked his officers to raise awareness among the public about the need not to invest in illegal colonies and verifying their legal status before investing their hard-earned money. “Those who break building codes will be dealt with harshly.”
Deputy commissioner Yash Garg has also formed a team of officials from the departments concerned, including revenue, town and country planning, forest, Municipal Council of Sohna, and the civic bodies of Gurgaon and Manesar, according to district town planner (enforcement) RS Batth.
At a meeting scheduled for Tuesday, he said, “a thorough action plan to defend the forest region from encroachers and developers of illegal farmhouse colonies would be prepared.”
When asked about the flooding that occurred inside the DTCP office in Gurgaon during the recent monsoon rainfall, Pandurang indicated that a project study is being developed and that land for a new office will be finalized soon. “At the moment, the office is managed from the HSVP office, which is located in a low-lying region with rainwater accumulation,” he explained.
