Owned by gangster, 48 shops built illegally on govt land demolished

Forty-eight shops that were built illegally on government land on Kalaka road here, allegedly by a gangster were demolished on Friday. A fortnight ago, police and the municipal corporation demolished the properties of a gangster who had illegally constructed at least seven shops and godowns in a colony in the NIT area in Faridabad.

Forty-eight shops that were built illegally on government land on Kalaka road here, allegedly by a gangster were demolished on Friday. The shops that were allegedly built by a gangster named Sunil Dulgach were razed as part of a drive to demolish properties created or bought from the ''proceeds of crime''. All the shops were being vacated since Thursday night, police said. Some shopkeepers claimed they had taken these shops on rent by paying large sums of money and if these were illegal, the administration should now ensure that they get their money back. Local Congress MLA Chiranjeevi Rao alleged that the action is only arbitrariness of the administration as the shops belonged to trust and not the gangster and, therefore, the action is not fair. ''These shops were built over 10 years ago and shopkeepers also have electric meters in their shops. If these shops were illegal why the government provided them electricity connections. The shops are of a trust and if the gangster is a member of trust he should be taken out of that trust. Why are the shopkeepers being forced to face trouble without their fault,'' Rao said. Police said gangster Dulgach, head of the Aaloo gang is involved in more than dozens of criminal cases and is currently lodged in jail. Officials said Dulgach's shops were identified and by issuing a public advertisement in this regard on behalf of the city council, papers were also sought for the property concerned within seven days. All the shops that have now been demolished were built in violation of norms, said a senior officer. A fortnight ago, police and the municipal corporation demolished the properties of a gangster who had illegally constructed at least seven shops and godowns in a colony in the NIT area in Faridabad. The Karnal Municipal Corporation had also demolished a farmhouse of an alleged gangster and some shops of a drug peddler on Thursday. The Haryana police has intensified its drive against most wanted criminals and drug peddlers and demolition of their buildings built on illegally occupied government land is part of the drive, officials added.

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