Land Encroachers In UP To Pay Demolition Cost

To discourage property owners from engaging into illegal construction, the Uttar Pradesh government has decided to impose a harsher penalty. Officials on December 3 said that the state would collect from the offenders the total expense it would incur in carrying out the demolition work.

"The encroachers and illegal holders of land will now have to pay penalty and expanses incurred in vacating the area," Chairman of the Board of Revenue Praveer Kumar said at a meeting of district-level officers in Mathura.

Salaries of the staff engaged in the exercise and the rent for the equipment used during the process would be paid using the penalty money.

Illegal construction has been rampant in India’s most populous state, causing a major threat to life and resources.

Last year, the Lucknow Development Authority had stated that over 70 per cent of all constructions was illegal and the number of such structures was estimated to be four lakh. The number could be much higher in the two national capital region (NCR) towns, Ghaziabad and Noida.

Various state government agencies have taken several steps to check the growth of illegal units. In September this year, the Uttar Pradesh Housing and Development Board (UPHDB) , which originally did not have the power to seal a building, mooted an amendment to empower itself to tackle such issues.