NEW DELHI: In a crackdown on repeated land encroachments, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has ordered the suspension of several Delhi Development Authority (DDA) officials and directed the filing of an FIR against those responsible for the re-encroachment of DDA land along Pusta Road, between Mayur Vihar Phase-I and NH-24.
The suspended officials include Assistant Engineers (AEs) and Junior Engineers (JEs) associated with the Mayur Nature Park project site.
Saxena also instructed that an FIR be lodged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023—including Sections 198, 223, 316, and 318—as well as Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988.
A departmental inquiry has also been initiated, alongside a criminal investigation to probe potential collusion between DDA staff and external parties.
Emphasising accountability, the LG has asked the Vice Chairman of DDA to submit a detailed report on the inquiry and actions taken within seven days. This move follows alarming reports of re-encroachment on land that had been cleared in a large-scale demolition drive in June 2024.
That operation, conducted under the supervision of the Delhi High Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT), had reclaimed around 390 hectares of land. It involved the removal of nearly 6,000 illegal structures, four unauthorized nurseries, 250 hectares of encroached farmland, and around 40 illegal borewells. The encroachment occurred on land earmarked for the Mayur Nature Park.