Delhi Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Friday chaired a meeting of the Advisory Council of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) to review the 'Perspective for Sustainable Urban Development' in the national capital, where the council took a firm stand against the unauthorised occupation of public land. The LG directed the DDA to ensure a strict zero-tolerance approach towards encroachment anywhere in the capital. He directed that technology be aggressively leveraged for real-time monitoring of land parcels and buildings, so that any unauthorised occupation or construction can be detected and acted upon swiftly.
The Authority informed the LG that 14 Flying Squads have been constituted under the Land Management Department for the dedicated protection of DDA land, backed by daily field inspections carried out by Field Survey Teams and a robust mechanism to monitor their performance. As a result of these sustained enforcement drives, nearly 241.51 acres of government land have been reclaimed since April 2025. Apart from this, 235.96 acres of land were cleared of illegal constructions in the development areas.
To further strengthen ground-level detection of encroachment, the LG was briefed on the ongoing drone survey of the entire National Capital Territory, being carried out under a tripartite agreement between DDA, MCD, and the Survey of India. Of the 1,370 sq. km identified for survey, over 1,122 sq. km have already been covered, with the drone survey of the entire O-Zone already completed.
The DDA also apprised the LG of its Vacant Land Management System, under which over 3,700 land parcels spanning nearly 21,773 acres are being geo-tagged and monitored for encroachment status through periodic photographs, the release said.
On unauthorised construction, the LG was informed of a special enforcement drive launched by the DDA to identify deviations from approved building plans, with dedicated inspection teams conducting field surveys. The LG directed strict action against gross violations, including the de-empanelment and blacklisting of errant architects, and instructed that unsafe or dilapidated buildings be promptly reported to the MCD for action. Unauthorised constructions coming up in Land Pooling Areas are to be identified and removed through Flying Squad Teams and empowered Quick Response Teams, the release said.
Reiterating that a collaborative, transparent, and technology-driven approach remains central to addressing Delhi's evolving urban challenges, the LG reaffirmed the government's commitment to advancing the capital's journey towards a sustainable and liveable Viksit Dilli.
The meeting was attended by members of the council, including MPs Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and Sudhanshu Trivedi. Others present in the meeting included heads of DMRC, NCRTC, DJB, Power Department, GNCTD, Health Department-GNCTD, a representative of the Ministry of Labour and Employment, GOI, and senior officials of DDA. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
