MCG demolishes four shops in Kaman Sarai coming in way of parking facility

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) demolished four shops at Kaman Sarai on Wednesday, which blocked the way for construction machines and vehicles to access a site here which has been earmarked for the development of a multi-level parking facility.

According to civic officials, there are 18 shops in total, which were illegally constructed here on government land post Independence. Last month, a local court lifted the stay on the MCG for demolishing the buildings, which house some of these shops. The stay on demolition is still in effect for around a dozen of these shops.

“After the stay was removed, we carried out a drum roll in the area informing the concerned shopkeepers to vacate the area earlier this month. Four illegal structures were demolished near the Maharaja Agrasen Chowk, which were preventing construction vehicles and machines from accessing the site proposed for the construction of the multi-level parking facility. With the site now cleared, we are aiming to start the construction of the project by May,” said Sanjiv Singla, joint commissioner of MCG.

Civic officials said all the 18 shopkeepers have been given multiple proposals, such as operating out of vacant MCG shops in Khandsa, or allocating them commercial space to run their shops either at the multi-level parking facility or the MCG’s new office building being constructed near Vyapar Sadan in Sector 14, once the projects are completed.

On Wednesday, earth movers deployed by the civic body carried out the demolition drive without any resistance from the shopkeepers with protection from a small contingent of police force.

Kishan Lal, owner of one of the four shops demolished on Wednesday, said, “We cooperated with the MCG and emptied our shops before the demolition drive. The MCG promised us a shop in exchange on Khandsa road. However, they said it will take another a week to be ready. We have nothing in written from them and are concerned about our future.”

The MCG laid the foundation stone for the multi-level parking facility in November 2019. However, the project has been stuck since then due to illegal encroachments as well as the stay by the local court.

The MCG has plans to build a 10-storey parking facility, which can accommodate around 1,100 vehicles. Stretched across 7,000sqm, the MCG has also reserved three floors for commercial establishments in the project.

Along with another multi-level parking facility on the Old Railway Road, the Kaman Sarai facility is aimed at reducing vehicular congestion at the city’s oldest market–Sadar Bazar.