Lieutenant Governor (L-G) V K Saxena has ordered the suspension of an unspecified number of Delhi Development Authority (DDA) employees in connection with the re-encroachment of the authority’s land near Pusta Road, from Mayur Vihar Phase-I to NH-24.
The suspended personnel include assistant engineers and junior engineers tasked with overseeing the Mayur Nature Park project, with the L-G’s office claiming that “a thorough investigation will be conducted to explore potential criminal conspiracy involving DDA personnel and external parties”, a press statement from the L-G’s office said on Tuesday.
The land in question forms part of the Yamuna floodplain, where the Mayur Nature Park project is being implemented. In June 2024, nearly 390 hectares of land were reclaimed in a court- and National Green Tribunal-monitored drive. That operation had cleared around 6,000 illegal structures, four nurseries, 250 hectares of cultivation, and 40 borewells. Despite this, re-encroachments were observed, with officials allegedly allowing them.
The L-G also directed that any future instances of fresh encroachment or re-encroachment of DDA land will attract criminal charges against responsible officials, in addition to suspension and departmental inquiry, in a “move aimed at controlling encroachment of DDA land in collusion with government officials”, the statement noted.
An FIR will be filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, including sections 198, 223, 316, and 318, and Section 13 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988. A departmental inquiry has also been initiated, according to a statement from the L-G’s office. The L-G has directed the DDA vice-chairman to submit a comprehensive report on the inquiry and action taken within seven days.
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