Built illegally, 2 houses razed in Fatehabad village

In Fatehabad district’s Bhattu village, an administrative team, with the support of the police, removed illegal encroachments using a bulldozer on Tuesday.

Two houses were built illegally on the village panchayat’s land. The action was taken after a complaint by Sarpanch Kirandeep Kaur.

The encroachments had come up on 2 kanals of vacant land near the Anganwadi and Women’s Chaupal. A man and his son had illegally occupied the land and built two houses overnight around 20 days ago.

The panchayat had previously attempted to stop the encroachment, but the land was taken despite their efforts. After the Sarpanch’s complaint, Block Development and Panchayat Officer (BDPO) Anil Kumar and Village Secretary Ramnivas inspected the site and directed the occupiers to vacate the land. However, they refused to comply.

With strict security measures in place, the police, led by Beat In-charge Chaman Lal, managed to ensure the peaceful removal of the encroachments. The illegal occupants failed to provide any documentation proving their claim over the land.

The BDPO sent a report to higher authorities and recommended the appointment of a Duty Magistrate.

Subdivisional Officer Sanjay Selwal from the Agriculture Department arrived as the Duty Magistrate, accompanied by a heavy police contingent.

The encroachers were asked to present documents but failed to do so. The Sarpanch presented documents proving the panchayat’s ownership of the land.

As a result, the administrative team used bulldozers to demolish both houses, restoring the land to the panchayat.

The Sarpanch said the land in question, Khasra No 105, had been designated for the Anganwadi and Women’s Chaupal, and the government had approved Rs 60 lakh for constructing a Village Knowledge Centre and Library at the site. However, due to “local politics”, some individuals had tried to obstruct development by occupying the land.

Panchayat members expressed their gratitude to the authorities for the move.