Gurgaon: Unauthorised construction and encroachment along all roads, national highways and state highways are now under scrutiny. Officials of the department of town and country planning and executive engineers of the public works department of the state have been directed to prepare lists of such unauthorised construction in their respective areas and submit reports on action taken against them.
As per the norms, 30 metres on both sides of scheduled roads are green belts and no construction can be carried in this area, even if the land is privately-owned. The Punjab and Haryana high court, through an order in 2007, had directed the state government to remove the unauthorised construction along 30 metres of scheduled roads. Over the years, however, many unauthorised structures — mainly shops and commercial establishments — have mushroomed along state and national highways, which not only cause congestion but also lead to road accidents and deaths. This also hampers the widening of roads and other development works. Following the HC’s 2007 order, the government had constituted sub-committees under the chairmanship of the senior town planner (STP) to monitor the action taken against unauthorised construction along the scheduled roads.
STP Sanjeev Mann recently reviewed action taken against such constructions in south Haryana and found the action taken at the district level to be unsatisfactory and directed all district town planners to take action against the unauthorised construction. “DTPs have been asked to inspect the controlled areas along scheduled roads in their respective jurisdiction and take necessary action,” he said.