Dwarka Development Authority initiates largescale demolition of illegal constructions
- In Reports
- 06:57 PM, Jan 11, 2025
- Myind Staff
The Dwarka Development Authority has initiated a large-scale demolition drive targeting illegal constructions and encroachments across the city. Around 45-50 illegal residential and commercial structures are being demolished in the Balpar area under this demolition drive.
The demolition drive in Bet Dwarka was initially launched in 2022, with similar drives being conducted across various districts like Kutch, Porbandar and Junagadh to remove illegal constructions. It is learnt that intelligence reports had pointed to the increasing presence of illicit activities in the coastal areas, which prompted the government to take stern action.
The drive has started the second phase of demolition in Bet Dwarka. After the 2022 demolition, several more unauthorised structures were found during the re-survey, leading to the ongoing clean-up drive.
Speaking about the continuing mega demolition drive in Bet Dwarka, Gujarat Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghvi said on Twitter, “Bet Dwarka is the land of faith of lakhs of people across the country. No illegal encroachment will be allowed on the land of Krishna. It is our responsibility to protect our faith and culture.”
“The Bhupendra Bhai Patel government of Gujarat has shown zero tolerance towards illegal encroachment,” he counted.
Over 1,100 police personnel have been deployed to maintain law and order. In the meantime, there have been reports of an illegal religious establishment being demolished in the area, which is also scheduled to be demolished. However, due to the stay court's stay order, demolition action may be taken after January 20 after the hearing of the matter.
District Collector (in-charge) SDM Amal S. Awate informed the media, "The drive began this morning, and around 35 houses built on Gauchar land owned by the Gujarat government have been demolished. We had issued two notices per Section 185 of the Gujarat Municipal Act, 1963. After, a public hearing was held on January 8 and 9, where all the documents were verified. After that, the houses which did not have the approved documents were demolished. The drive will continue for two more days until all the illegal encroachments are cleared."
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