Noida authority sent notices to Tyagi before, but there was no action on ground: Residents

The encroachment made by local leader Shrikant Tyagi that was immediately removed on Monday morning by the bulldozers of the Noida authority had been a bone of contention since 2019, when complaints were made against him by the apartment owners’ association (AOA).

Sources said Tyagi enjoyed a free run for at least three years. Last Wednesday, a video of him abusing and assaulting another female resident at Omaxe Grand housing society at Sector 93 in Noida went viral on social media, following which a slew of actions is finally taking place.

The squabble started when a group of residents protested against a plantation that he was undertaking to allegedly cover and cordon off a part of the common area around his flat. However, this has not been his first attempt at encroaching upon the common area, allege residents.

“There have been several instances when Tyagi has tried to encroach upon the common area, or extend and build a wall between his flat and his neighbours. The AOA had made a complaint to the Noida authority in 2019 itself. There have been many instances after that when residents have had arguments with him regarding encroachments, but he always threw his weight around by being a political leader,” said Avinash Mathur, president, Omaxe Grand AOA.

Residents said that notices were also sent to Tyagi but no action was ever taken against the illegal construction around his house and they were also later revoked.

HT also has a copy of a letter addressed to Tyagi that mentions that the notices are being revoked.

Officials also confirmed that notices were sent to him in the past but he had removed the encroachment, after which an inspection was also done. However, there was no need for action. Residents, however, say that the encroachments were never removed from around his house.

“There was a complaint against Tyagi in 2019, after which at least two notices were sent by the authority to him. He informed us that he has removed the illegal encroachments. Our team also went to the site and prepared an inspection report. This is why there was no need for any action. When we were informed about the illegal construction again on Sunday, we took action against the new construction. This is a case of repeated offence, which is why we did not serve a notice,” said Ritu Maheshwari, chief executive officer (CEO), Noida authority.

Maheshwari added that Omaxe Grand has over 100 such flats that have encroachments and notices have been sent to all of those residents. The society does not have an approved map against which the residents are already amidst a legal battle with the builder.

“The builder has not provided any map or layout and we have no clarity on what area comes under personal property of the flats. There are 22 towers and six flats on every floor. So, there are 132 ground floor flats that have encroached upon some open area and we cannot question the legality as we lack clarity. However, in this case, the plantation and other constructions were clearly in the common green area of the society, which is why residents protested,” Mathur added.