South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) has prepared a plan to carry out the anti-encroachment drive in its jurisdiction in the national capital.

The SDMC mayor Mukesh Suryan on Monday said that the civic body will soon take action against those who have encroached on the government’s land. An action plan to remove encroachment in different parts of the city has been made and soon action will be taken, added Suryan.

When asked about the anti-encroachment drive in Shaheen Bagh and Okhla, Suryan said, “Not just Shaheen Bagh and Okhla, we have identified many wards for the anti-encroachment drive. Vishnu Garden in Tilak Nagar West Zone is an area where Rohingyas and Bangladeshis have encroached the government land and many illegal activities take place. So, we have identified those places as well.”

He further pointed out that Shaheen Bagh is also one of the areas where government land has been illegally occupied.

“In Okhla as well, illegal construction has been done on most of the government land. Similar cases have been witnessed in Madanpur Khadar, Jasola Vihar, Sarita Vihar and Sangam Vihar. So, we have identified all these areas,” Suryan said.

A general branch of the SDMC, every month, takes action against the normal encroachment, he added.

“Last week, in Nazafgarh, we ran an anti-encroachment drive at Gandhi Market in Sagarpur where people had encroached on the drain. Certain Bangladeshis have also captured government land and are running factories. We will remove the encroachment and get the government land vacated and dedicate it to the public,” Suryan said.

He further stated that every month, a schedule for the month-long plan has been sent to the police for the anti-encroachment drive.

“We are planning to vacate the encroachment under the routine programs, but the responsibility of the Delhi police is to maintain the law and order in the area. The police have to ensure that encroachment again doesn’t take place again,” he said.

When asked if notices have been served to people against whom anti-encroachment drive will be carried, Suryan said, “Notice is never served to people to remove the encroachment under the MCD Act. But in the places where people have illegally constructed the buildings or have made offices illegally, notice has already been served to them. They can ignore the notices, but we have them on record. We will take action as per the notices.”