Noida: Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) on Saturday carried out anti-encroachment drives at two locations, reclaiming nearly 2 lakh square metres of land worth an estimated Rs 700 crore.In the first drive in the Tappal area of Aligarh district, officials reclaimed 1.5 lakh sqm of encroached land. The land falls within the proposed Tappal-Bajna Urban Centre, a major YEIDA project spread over 11,104 hectares across 54 villages in Aligarh and Mathura districts. Officials found that some people had already built a two-storeyed house on the notified land. They used earthmovers to demolish the structure and reclaim the land.The second operation was conducted at Chapargarh village, where encroachers were building a permanent structure on land that is part of a 60m-wide green belt. The encroachments were cleared from the 50,000 sqm land valued at around Rs 250 crore. Sand, cement, gravel, and other material being used to make the permanent structure was also disposed of, an official said.“The land was already acquired by the Authority, but some individuals had encroached on it. The encroachments were removed and the land has been taken back into the Authority’s possession,” said additional CEO Rajesh Kumar Singh.The enforcement drive was conducted with the assistance of police, the sub-divisional magistrate and officials from the revenue department. YEIDA officials said similar drives will continue across the notified area to prevent illegal occupation. “We have directed our staff to maintain zero tolerance towards encroachments and unauthorised construction. Such enforcement drives will continue in the future,” Singh said.
