Ghaziabad development body may slap Gangsters Act

The Gangsters Act would be applied against individuals found guilty of carrying out unlawful structures, according to the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA). The DM and vice-chairman of the GDA, RK Singh, has directed staff to compile a list of the city's illegal structures. According to sources, he would also consult with the police commissioner about how to conduct the drive. In the last 10 to 15 years, there have been many unlawful constructions built. Since the current regulations rarely serve as a deterrent, the GDA vice-chairperson has been debating how to hold violators accountable under the UP Gangsters Act. A list of defaulters broken down by zone has been requested from the authorities. Also, the drive will involve the police the official said. As of right moment, the GDA notifies property owners and also performs demolitions. The development authority served 609 letters to owners of unauthorised properties between August of last year and January of this year. At this time, 501 demolition orders were passed, but only 142 of them could be executed. The GDA requests responses from the owners of illegal properties within 15 days, in accordance with current regulations. After assessing the degree of encroachment, the town planning department decides whether it can be compounded. The development authority then decides whether to approve the additional construction for a compounding cost or, if it is wholly illegal, to demolish the building within 60 days. If the additional development was done without infringing the land use regulations, whether in the setback area or elsewhere, it is considered compoundable. Yet, a structure that was built on public property and in contravention of the building ordinances must be torn down. However the GDA's efforts to demolish buildings have been hampered by a lack of labourers and equipment.