A team from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) demolished illegal structures and boundary walls in Gwal Pahari here on Tuesday.
Led by Joint Commissioner Y.S. Gupta, the team comprising 300 policemen reached the area around 10:30 a.m. and demolished structures on 34 sites spread across 142 acres. The drive continued till 6:30 p.m.
Security shield
The police did not face any protest, though arrangements had been made to deal with untoward incidents. The team had initially planned to take possession of 39 sites in the area, for which four Duty Magistrates were appointed with a sizeable police force.On reaching the spot, five persons, however, produced copies of stay orders issued by judicial courts. Consequently, their structures were spared. Boards about ownership were also installed with a warning to prosecute the trespassers.
The controversy over the 400-acre Gwal Pahari land had erupted after then Gurugram Deputy Commissioner T.L. Satyaprakash declared the mutation of the land as illegal in a dispute between the civic body and a private firm. Mr. Satyaprakash was accused of favouring the firm and the matter took political hues with the Opposition raising the matter in the Budget session of the Vidhan Sabha.
CM takes stock
Intervening in a reply to the call attention motion of Congress MLAs last week, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had assured that an inquiry would be conducted into all land issues of Gurugram, Faridabad and Nuh districts, including Gwal Pahari.
The panchayat and land owners in Gwal Pahari have been claiming that they owned the land collectively before 1940s. Later, it became a shamlat land due to a stray entry. The MCG, however, claims that the land has been in its possession since 1955.
