60 jhuggis, ‘illegal’ kiosks in Gurgaon’s Banjara market cleared in GMDA anti-encroachment drive

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) on Thursday conducted a demolition drive in the city to remove “encroachment” along master roads and green belts of the Southern Peripheral Road and sector 49/47 dividing road.

R S Batth, District Town Planner, GMDA, said that illegal encroachments, including around 60 jhuggis and seven kiosks in Banjara market area, have been cleared despite opposition from the vendors.

The encroachment wing of the authority carried out the exercise with the help of 70 police personnel and eight bulldozers on busy stretches and in front of the Park Hospital to address the issue of “illegal hawkers” and traffic congestion, a spokesperson said.

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Demolition drive by GMDA in action. (File photo)

About seven stalls were demolished and many wrongly parked vehicles on the dividing road in front of Park Hospital, were also towed away, said GMDA officials.

Illegal hawkers being demolished in Banjara market. (File photo)

“We received many complaints pertaining to the presence of illegal Banjara markets from the residents of housing societies and action was taken accordingly,” he said. Batth said that anti-encroachment drives will be further intensified to beautify the city roads and green belts. “Strict action will be taken against the violators who are found re-encroaching GMDA area,” he added.