HSVP launches anti-encroachment drive to clear govt land

Gurgaon: The Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) on Thursday launched an anti-encroachment drive in the city, clearing nearly 2 acres of land by demolishing shanties and unauthorised constructions.Contrary to the initial plan of reclaiming the right-of-way (ROW) on sector roads by removing encroachments from green belts and pavements, the Authority shifted its focus to clearing encroachments from its own land.The action marks the initial phase of the Authority’s enforcement efforts, which are anticipated to resemble the large-scale crackdown recently conducted by the department of town and country planning (DTCP). During that campaign, authorities demolished thousands of illegal structures and reclaimed several kilometres of road space. Officials have stated that the action will persist in the coming days, as additional sites have already been identified for clearance.The team led by SDO Amit Vashishth and junior engineer Moin Khan from the survey wing of HSVP Estate Office-2 on Thursday vacated approximately 2 acres of land in Sector 45.“A portion of the land is reserved for a school, while the remaining land is unplanned and is yet to be planned,” said an official.Along with this, encroachment was also removed from a residential plot. All this land belonged to HSVP within the revenue estate of Kanhai village. A heavy police force was present throughout the operation.A second team led by junior engineer Gaurav Yadav cleared encroachments from Sector 47, where the primary encroachment was removed from department land adjacent to the under-construction Ikea building.The HSVP planned an extensive enforcement campaign across multiple sectors under its jurisdiction, targeting illegal constructions, encroachments on public land and violations of building norms. The drive was expected to be conducted in a phased manner similar in scale to the recent DTCP crackdown in the city. However, the Authority postponed the drive, citing a High Court hearing. The focus has now shifted to simply clearing encroached land.