These duplexes were being constructed at government land
These duplexes were being constructed at government land

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The district administration, in association with the police and Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC), on Sunday, dismantled 16 under-construction duplexes belonging to police officials, engineers and other influential government employees in the Kanha-Saiya area. These constructions are along the highway on government land.

There were 32 duplexes and shops numbering the same being built on government land and all these constructions are illegal. Sixteen families live in the remaining duplexes. A heavy police contingent was deployed to prevent any resistance from the landlords or the residents.

According to the administration, all of the occupants and owners are influential government officers, policemen, engineers and other well-off people who have a lot of clout and are well aware of the rules and regulations. It was apparent that they knew full well they had committed wrong, as none of the landlords appeared before the administration or anti-encroachment squad with documents to stake their claim on the duplexes.

‘None came to protest’

‘There are 64 constructions—32 are shops and the others duplexes. Sixteen have already been constructed and families are living there, so we’ve given them notice. The other 16 duplexes were under-construction, so we razed them all. All of them belong to well-off families and they know they have committed wrong in grabbing government land with full knowledge, so no landlord came forward with documents. The illegal constructions were noticed by the patrolling and monitoring teams constituted for keeping a close vigil during the lockdown. They reported the matter to the administration and we took action’

— Gitanjali Sharma, tehsildar


Free Press Journal