Delhi govt begins demolition of 143 illegal structures to widen road in Shalimar Bagh

The Delhi government on Sunday carried out a major demolition drive in the Haiderpur village area of Shalimar Bagh to implement a Supreme Court decision against unauthorised constructions on public Right of WayDistrict Magistrate DM of CentralNorth District SS Parihar said that the action was being carried out in compliance with court ordersIn the joint survey conducted on January 10 2026 it was found that a total of 143 unauthorised permanent pucca constructions exist within the prescribed 30meter Right of Way he saidHe said the land in question is acquired government land which is designated as a public road in the Master Plan of the Delhi Development Authority DDA and forms a part of the prescribed Right of Way of Road No 320The administration has clarified that this action will continue until all illegal structures located in the designated area are removed and land is made available for the road widening project he saidHe said that this road is part of a vital traffic corridor connecting the Shalimar Bagh Railway Under Bridge RUB to the Outer Ring RoadThis route connects the Ring Road Azadpur Shalimar Bagh and surrounding large residential commercial and institutional areas he said adding that it ensures access to hospitals government offices and developing administrative complexesHe added that the current width of the road has been severely affected due to encroachments creating regular traffic jam situations and causing movement difficulties for ambulances fire brigade vehicles and other emergency servicesAccording to the DM the acquisition of the land in question was initiated for the planned development of Delhi through notifications in the years 1959 and 1961The declaration of land acquisition was issued in the year 1966 and Award Nos 40198081 and 50198081 were announced in the year 1980 The possession of the land was taken in July 1980 and the remaining compensation amount was also deposited in the year 1981 Thus the process of land acquisition and compensation payment was completed more than four decades agoParihar stated that in 2025 a scientific demarcation of the land was jointly carried out by the DDA Revenue Department Land and Building Department and Public Works Department using the Total Station Method TSM technologyIn the joint survey conducted on January 10 2026 it was found that a total of 143 unauthorised permanent pucca constructions exist within the prescribed 30meter Right of Way he saidOut of this the existing road is situated on an area of approximately 195 meters while an area of approximately 105 meters is blocked due to encroachment he saidHe mentioned that the administration has adopted the principle of minimum displacement in the execution of the project Although the approved Right of Way is 30 meters action is being taken only in the necessary 105meter area in the current phase so that the maximum number of structures can be saved establishing a balance between public interest and minimum displacementThe DM informed that a public notice was issued in January 2026 inviting objections from the affected persons The notices were also published in prominent newspapers After considering all objections an order was passed by the Land Acquisition Collector on March 20 2026He said that thereafter an attempt was made by some residents to challenge the administrative action and seek a declaration that the land acquisition had lapsed under Section 242 of the 2013 Act by filing a petition in the Delhi High CourtThe government presented the record before the court showing that the acquisition of the land had been validly completed compensation had been deposited and possession had also been takenParihar stated that on April 6 2026 the Delhi High Court dismissed the petition observing that the petitioners do not possess valid documents of preacquisition ownership the land acquisition is valid and a road project of public importance cannot be stalledOn May 29 2026 the Supreme Court also cleared the decks for encroachment removalThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever