Gurgaon: Department of town and country planning (DTCP) is set to restart its sealing drive against residential properties being used for unauthorised commercial activities in licensed colonies across the city. The move comes ahead of DTCP readying to submit an action-taken report (ATR) to Supreme Court on Nov 23.The fresh round of inspections and sealing is expected to cover major licensed colonies across the city, including DLF-1 to 5, Sushant Lok-1, 2 and 3, South City-1 and 2, with particular focus on residential pockets where PG accommodations, guesthouses, hotels and other commercial establishments are operating. Enforcement teams are also likely to revisit properties that were previously issued show-cause notices or restoration orders but have continued with unauthorised activities. Areas where stilt parking spaces have been converted into commercial establishments or additional unauthorised structures have come up are also expected to be on the department’s radar. Properties where commercial activities are being carried out without permission, despite being located in residential zones, are likely to come under scrutiny.The resumption is a follow-up to the extensive enforcement exercise undertaken by DTCP over the past several months. The department has earlier targeted several licensed colonies, including DLF-1 to 5, Sushant Lok and South City, where inspections have revealed unauthorised commercial use, illegal construction, additional floors and misuse of stilt parking spaces. The scale of the crackdown is reflected in the department’s enforcement figures. DTCP issued 1,319 show-cause notices and 662 restoration orders across licensed colonies, according to data shared by town planner (enforcement) Amit Madholia. South City accounted for 538 notices, followed by Sushant Lok, which had 283 notices related to commercial and residential violations. DLF-3 and Sushant Lok-I also accounted for a substantial number of restoration orders.The SC’s Sept 22 directions in the Loganathan vs State of Tamil Nadu case have added urgency to the enforcement exercise. The court said premises being used commercially in areas exclusively earmarked for residential purposes should, in the first instance, be sealed. It also cautioned authorities against selective enforcement, making it clear that action must be uniform and without discrimination.In previous drives, enforcement teams sealed entire buildings being operated as guesthouses and PGs, besides demolishing unauthorised rooms, reception areas, kitchens and other structures raised in stilt parking spaces. The action also covered offices, shops and other commercial establishments operating from residential premises.With Nov 23 approaching, the department is now expected to step up enforcement and document the action taken against identified violations before filing its report before the apex court. The exercise will be crucial in demonstrating whether the authorities have acted against unauthorised commercial use in residential neighbourhoods in accordance with the court’s directions.
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