What is the relation between encroachments and demolition drives? And why the encroachments are allowed to happen and that too for such a long period no actions are taken against the encroachers and then on a blue moon agencies suddenly come out of the bed and start a demolition drive. Why is the encroachment of the government and public land not checked immediately? There are instances where the influential and powerful people supported by the land mafia and other such groups not only encroach upon the government and public land but go on constructing multi story buildings and other commercial structures in the broad daylight. These constructions go on without any check for months and then those structures are either put on rent or sold to the businessmen and shopkeepers. Even at many places housing units have been and still are being constructed on the government or public land encroached upon by the mafia. Where the enforcement agencies were, which while any demolition drive and describe this as their so called great achievement of removing illegal structures and retrieving the land. Why do they remain silent for not only months but years together. This has also been noticed that in many cases the action has been taken by the said agencies after a thirty to fifty years gap of encroachment. Why is it so, the higher authorities, judiciary should consider these factors while taking any decision in this regard. If those officials are punished for the dereliction of duty and allowing not only the encroachment of land but also ignoring the construction upon the encroached land. Where the Municipal and JDA officials were sleeping during that period was not of minutes or hours but of months and years. If the concerned officials and also the officers who have not acted in time, and under whose tenure the encroachment and construction of illegal structures came up are punished, believe it that ninety percent cases of encroachments will never happen. Secondly, the officials of the Power Department and PHE should also be punished for providing power and water connections to the buildings, structures and houses without verifying the legality of the land and building from revenue, JMC and JDA. Only these types of actions can put hold on the menace or encroachment.
