Illegal structures off SPR cleared in GMDA drive amid protest

Gurgaon: GMDA cleared encroachments along the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) on Thursday, days after the assembly elections. The operation aimed to remove illegal structures and temporary establishments that had emerged along key master roads.
An official said similar drives will continue in other important areas of the city. The operation targeted SPR and the stretch in front of Park Hospital, covering Sectors 49 and 47.During the drive, seven makeshift structures were demolished, and numerous illegally parked vehicles were towed. The Banjara market, a frequent source of complaints from residents, was also dismantled.
However, the drive faced significant resistance from the dwellers of the Banjara market, who protested and attempted to halt the operation. They obstructed JCB machines at various points, trying to disrupt the demolition. "Despite these obstructions, we continued with the drive more assertively," said RS Batth, DTP enforcement and GMDA official.
For this operation, a task force was established, comprising two assistant town planners and around 50 junior engineers from various GMDA divisions, supported by 70 police personnel. Eight JCB machines were deployed to assist in clearing the encroachments. The drive also extended to Sectors 49 and 50 along the SPR, where approximately 60 temporary huts were removed over a half-kilometer stretch, prompted by complaints from nearby residents.