The Haryana Shehri Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) carried out a significant anti-encroachment operation on Thursday, demolishing seven illegal structures in the Valmiki Basti area of Sector 12. The drive was executed to reclaim government land in strict compliance with the directives of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
A heavy police force was deployed to the site to maintain law and order as the enforcement team arrived with earthmoving machines. Tensions flared briefly when some residents attempted to oppose the demolition, but the authorities proceeded with the operation, dismantling the targeted houses one by one. Aditi, the Estate Officer (EO) of HSVP Karnal, stated that the action was long overdue, citing a High Court order from 2012 that mandated the removal of these encroachments. She emphasized that notices had been served to the occupants well in advance of the drive.
The Estate Officer further clarified the administration’s rehabilitation efforts, noting that a comprehensive survey had identified 226 families eligible for resettlement. To accommodate them, HSVP had constructed 264 flats in Sector 14 (Part II) under the Ashiana scheme in 2016 at a cost of ₹14.85 crore. However, many residents refused to shift, citing inadequate space. Subsequently, the department offered 50-square-yard plots in Sector 16 to the eligible families, a project for which the foundation stone was laid in 2018. While several families have relocated, others remained on the encroached land, prompting this latest enforcement action.
