Where government planned lake to recharge water table, a 13-acre illegal colony

GURUGRAM: A case has been registered against five entities — two developers and three individuals — who built illegal colonies over 13 acres of land in Tikri village in Sector 72A, close to the MCG office. The land was marked as open space in the Gurugram Master Plan, on which HSVP had proposed to develop an artificial lake to store rainwater, in a bid to arrest Gurugram’s rapidly falling groundwater level.
The case was registered following a complaint by DTCP, which alleged that one of the developers was selling plots for Rs 35,000 per sq yd and enjoyed the patronage of a BJP MLA.
Although construction is prohibited on the land, it was divided into small plots without DTCP approval and sold off to buyers over the past one year. Some of the buyers have even constructed their houses.
The case came into the limelight when in 2018, Chetna, an NGO, had filed a case with National Green Tribunal (NGT ) against violation of the Master Plans for Gurugram-Manesar urban complex 2025 and 2031 in Sector 72A (Tikri village), through which Badshapur drain crosses, and which is marked as open space for water bodies. NGT had then directed MCG and HSVP to submit an action taken report by May 2019. When MCG had ordered the demolitions in October, it was stayed by court after a group of buyers filed a petition against it.
When this stay was vacated in January, MCG tried to demolish the structures, but the demolition drive was stopped by a local BJP MLA, who stood in front of the earth movers, forcing MCG to withdraw. But in April, MCG returned to carry out the demolition drive, razing 32 structures and sealing two borewells in the illegal colony.
According to officials, Huda (now HSVP) had come up with a plan in 2015 to build an artificial lake in sectors 72 and 72A, to prevent waterlogging and to recharge the city’s depleting aquifers. The proposed lake, which never came up, was supposed to utilise rainwater run-off from Sushant Lok, DLF colonies and sectors near Ghata village. Huda also planned to build several drains in low-lying areas to direct the rainwater to the proposed artificial lake.
Now, on the basis of DTCP’s complaint, a case has been registered against New India City Developers Private Limited, NKV Developers, as well as three plot owners — Nirmala Gupta, resident of Ansari Road, Daryaganj, Delhi; Dhanvanti, resident of Sector 5, Gurugram; and Kamlesh Kumari Garg, resident of Shiv Colony, Gurugram. The case was registered under sections 10, 7, 7A of Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Area Act, 1975. The sections relate to development of illegal colonies without taking approval from DTCP.
District town planner (enforcement), Ved Prakash Shehrawat, said his department had issued notices in July and December 2018, but the violators have continued to develop the illegal colony. “Finally, we wrote to police, asking them to file an FIR,” he said, adding they have been taking action against illegal colonies as soon as they receive complaints.
A Gurugram police spokesperson said a case has been registered and police will probe the matter. “Police will collect and verify documents to proceed with the investigation,” he said.