Indian Express 6.11.2009

MCD drive to weed out encroachments

The Municipal Corporation of Dehi (MCD) has decided to launch a special drive to check encroachments on public land in the national capital ahead of the Commonwealth Games. Officials in the civic agency said the drive aims to revamp certain areas in the vicinity of Commonwealth Games venues, by taking necessary legal action, which may include demolition of such unauthorised structures.

“We have already initiated the process and are planning to further intensify it. We will especially be clearing the lanes and roads connecting the Commonwealth Games Village and venues,” MCD Chief Public Relation Officer Deep Mathur said.

They said the department has constituted 12 special teams under the supervision of Deputy Commissioners of the municipal zones concerned. They said the department has received hundreds of complaints from the Delhi Police and residents regarding construction of unauthorised buildings and encroachments in different areas, especially the East and South district. There are 272 wards divided into 12 zones across the National Capital under the control of the civic agency. Huge infrastructure including residential accommodation, hotels, sport complexes, training centres and other commercial blocks are being constructed all over Delhi to facilitate easy access and necessary facilities to both athletes and lakhs of other people. “We shall also be carrying out a drive in Paharganj area to check misuse of public land,” Mathur said.

Special teams would carry out checks and see whether or not the owners violated building norms set by the MCD. In reply to an RTI query filed by advocate Vivek Garg, the Delhi Police said there are about 270 illegal constructions in Northwest Delhi and about 180 such buildings in North Delhi.

Police have communicated the violation of law to the civic agency and suggested appropriate action. In reply to another RTI application by Garg, the MCD accepted the presence of a luxury hotel on a land where it has not given any permission for commercial activity. A luxurious hotel has been constructed by a private firm in about 1,318 square metre plot in Shakti Nagar where MCD said “owner has no sanction for hotel construction.”

Asked about his response on this issue, the MCD spokesperson said, “Our zonal incharges carry out regular checks on any such activities.”

The Times of India 06.11.2009

NMC sleeps as encroachments crop up everywhere

TNN 6 November 2009, 05:43am IST

NAGPUR: With Nagpur Municipal Corporation adopting a casual approach, encroachments are the norm on roads in the city. Most shopkeepers occupy footpaths in front while vendors have taken over every other nook and corner in the city. Though NMC authorities have time and again promised drives to remove all encroachments from outside shops or otherwise from all city areas, so far nothing concrete had been seen.

NMC sources claim that all major roads have well demarcated pedestrian areas, however, they are of no use due to encroachments by vendors on the pavements. Encroachments also mean pedestrians are forced to walk on the busy roads, putting them at the risk of being knocked down by speeding vehicles.

"Though NMC's anti-encroachment squad is empowered to take action against any obstruction in public places like a footpath, the squad usually remains a mute spectator and rarely takes steps to clear encroachment, especially on Cotton Market Road," pointed out Mukesh Karmarkar, a resident.

The NMC's special drives too have failed to keep the city free of encroachments, with most encroachers returning to the same locations almost immediately, he pointed out. Interestingly, he said, in the Cotton Market area, even the squad's vehicles can be seen parked alongside encroachments on the footpath!

Other vehicle users say that the police have taken some action in the past, but nothing much comes of it since NMC keeps a stoic silence. They point out that many busy main roads were widened after clearing encroachments, but today they are as congested as ever.

Unfortunately, encroachments are the norm along entire stretches of market places, including Mahal, Itwari and Sadar, where either vendors or shop owners display goods.

Janmanch president Ashok Lanjewar says, "It is extremely difficult to walk on these roads. Haphazard parking on roadsides is a big cause, but encroachments by vendors and shop owners is the man cause. It creates a lot of inconvenience to senior citizens, children and shoppers." He said the corporation should take a firm stand against established shops that occupy the pavement space to display or sell products.

On the other hand, hawkers feel that they are treated as criminals by the police. "Sometimes, cases are registered against us for no reason. Hawking is in fact not a high earning job. Several shopkeepers are degree holders, and have taken to this as a livelihood only due to lack of opportunities," they add.

Lanjewar says that the only solution for this is proper infrastructure planning in keeping with the growth of the city. "The NMC should first see that the infrastructure is provided, and then grant permission for new layouts etc," he said.