Delhi government starts fencing of retrieved land in Asola village

A day after the Delhi administration removed encroachment and unauthorised construction from around 197 acre of public land in south Delhi's Asola village, the government has started fencing the retrieved land.

An official said the team of district administration officials also found a helipad and removed it from the area which has properties owned by businessmen, politicians and even retired bureaucrats.

"The forest department of the Delhi government on Thursday started fencing the retrieved land following the direction of south district administration," South Delhi's District Magistrate Amjad Tak said.

The forest land also had borewells, trees were cut and small-scale stone mining units were functioning without permission.

The district magistrate said the demolition was carried out on Wednesday on the direction of a Supreme Court-appointed monitoring committee which had inspected the area on February 19.

Almost all encroachments spread over 197 acre of government land in Asola village were removed on Wednesday, the state government's revenue department said. The remaining encroachments were removed on Thursday, it added.

Acting on instructions of the Monitoring Committee, a team of the Delhi Police, the forest department, power discom BSES and the revenue department (South district) carried out the drive with 20 earthmovers and 100 civil defence volunteers, the revenue department said.