Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority to identify ‘problem areas’

Faridabad, October 14

As several hundred acres of land in the city is encroached, the Faridabad Metropolitan Development Authority (FMDA) has decided to identify the problem areas and ensure an action against it.

Announcing that a committee will be soon in action, a senior FMDA official said a team of officials of various ranks would take up the work of locating and identifying the encroachments. He said the move was introduced in the wake of numerous complaints. These encroachments should not hamper the development works, especially those related to civic amenities. A decision in this regard came up at one of the meetings of the Core Planning Cell held recently, he added.

A district official said large chunks of land, including footpaths, green belts, service lanes, public parks and pedestrian path on either side of roads had been lying encroached.

Sources in the local administration alleged that over 300 acres of land within the civic limits could be under illegal occupation. In response to an RTI in 2016, the authorities admitted encroachments in several acres of land in Badkhal subdivision. Several colonies — Rahul Colony, Krishna Colony, Kalyanpuri colony, AC Nagar and Dayal Nagar — were such few locations, it was added. The HSVP had claimed to recover land worth Rs 200 crore in Sector 20A and 20B in 2020-21.

“Though anti-encroachment drives are carried out regularly, in several cases, litigation delayed the progress of action plan,” said a senior MC official.