As 200 illegal colonies razed, thousands lose homes in Gurugram & Faridabad

GURUGRAM: Anuj Kumar, who works in a departmental store in the city, recently bought a 50-sq-yard plot in Bhondsi and was planning to start the construction of his dream home. His dream was shattered last week after the department of town and country planning (DTCP) demolished under-construction buildings in the colony where he had bought a plot. Kumar then came to know that the colony was illegal.

“I had no idea that the colony was illegal and violated the norms. I had contacted the developer after I saw a pamphlet pasted on the boundary wall of a park. The price was around Rs 4.5 lakh,” he said.

Hari Kishan, who lived in an illegal colony in Khori village, lost his home when the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad carried out a razing drive there. “I have nowhere to go with my family. I had invested my life savings in making a house here, which was razed without any intimation,” he said.

Thousands of families like these have been rendered homeless and lost their savings in Gurgaon and Faridabad after their homes were demolished by various civic bodies since the lockdown. DTCP officials said demolition drives have been carried out in 200 illegal colonies in Gurgaon in the past five months. They said the developers of such colonies targeted families from the low-income group looking for small residential plots.

Nirmal Gorana of Working Peoples Charter, an NGO, said the eviction and demolition must be stopped immediately, and adequate measures should be taken to rehabilitate those affected. “Adequate and sustainable rehabilitation for the affected families in Gurgaon and Faridabad must be ensured before the threat of eviction is forced upon them,” he said. “A comprehensive rehabilitation and relocation policy that keeps the interests of the community at heart must be made at the central level,” he added.

The state government upgraded the registry mechanism and launched a software earlier this month to check irregularities in registries of land. The government has also uploaded details of agricultural land, where registry is not allowed without a no-objection certificate (NOC) from DTCP.

District town planner RS Batth told TOI an NOC from the department is required for registration deeds in villages that come under Section 7(1) of the Haryana Regulation and Development of Urban Areas Act, 1975. “The system has been updated to check mushrooming of illegal colonies,” he said.

On the issue of the families who lost their homes, he said they were duped by property dealers and developers of illegal colonies. “We have recommended the filing of FIRs against these property dealers and sought financial details from them,” Batth said.

RS Rathee, councillor of Ward No. 34, said many families which have lost their homes recently in demolition drives have approached him for help. “We are trying to help and support them in all possible manner,” he said.