Chandigarh: The Chandigarh administration has started identifying encroached land across the Union Territory, with Deputy Commissioner-cum-Estate Officer Vinay Pratap Singh stating that the administration is utilizing advanced technologies and satellite imagery in collaboration with revenue authorities to pinpoint illegal encroachments year by year.
The administration said the estate office is leveraging geographic information system (GIS) technology to detect and track encroachments on government lands.
"There is a critical importance of land in a planned city like Chandigarh. Encroachments have detrimental effects, including unplanned urban growth and possible financial losses due to high land prices," said Deputy Commissioner Vinay Pratap Singh.
"My office recently took action against the furniture market, where 10-12 acres, valued at over ₹1,500 crore, had been encroached upon for the past 30 years. On June 30, we reclaimed nearly two acres worth more than ₹200 crore from illegal occupants. The UT administration is now examining replies from the occupants, with the land acquisition officer overseeing the matter for a prompt resolution," he added.
It is pertinent to mention that the Chandigarh administration has asked shopkeepers of the furniture market in Sectors 53 and 54 to vacate the site by June 28 or face demolition.
The demolition of the furniture market was put on hold after a shopkeepers' delegation requested the administration to offer them an opportunity to buy shops in the upcoming Bulk Material Market through an open auction. They proposed that, until the auction was conducted, they could be charged rent for the area they have encroached upon, as assessed by the administration.
Despite a stay from the Punjab and Haryana High Court preventing additional demolitions in other designated colonies, the UT has petitioned the court to lift the stay and expedite the resolution of civil writ petitions to reclaim valuable government land.