DNA Edit: Squatters beware - The SC flags a problem that refuses to go away

The Supreme Court has done well to come down heavily on professional land encroachers, a move that is long overdue. It has directed municipal authorities to remove all illegal constructions from public space, going so far as to tell them to cut off power and water supply, should the need arise. The court observed, quite rightly, that the “social fabric of neighbourhoods is being torn asunder because of fights over this pettiest issue of parking of vehicles.”

Newspaper headlines — particularly in capital Delhi — are replete with stories of guns being pulled out and people killed over car parking disputes. It is quite doubtful if any other world capital will find so many instances of parking rages, as the Indian capital. The court appreciated the draft parking rules framed by the Delhi government and directed it to notify the Delhi Maintenance and Management of Parking Places Rules, 2019, by the end of September.

Big metros such as Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata and Bengaluru have fallen prey to illegal occupation of public land. A 2016 report by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) cited roadside parking and encroachments as the primary cause of intense traffic congestion on Delhi’s internal roads. Whether it is the slums around the Mumbai airport or the construction of structures in the protected Ridge area of Delhi, the problem exists across the spectrum.

The rampant unauthorised stalls in Kolkata and the encroachment of lakes in Bengaluru are prime examples of how public spaces are being misused. Sadly, despite the Supreme Court directives, local authorities have not been able to root out the problem.

The trouble is that many of those evicted reappear on the same or nearby spots after some time. As can be expected, there is no class divide when it comes to encroachments. From upscale residential colonies to slums to environmentally-sensitive zones, squatters gobbling up public land is rampant.