Delhi authorities clear encroachments from 1,034 km stretch of roads, footpaths; reclaim public space

New Delhi, Jul 8 (PTI) Delhi authorities have cleared 1,034.37 kilometres of roads, service lanes and footpaths of encroachments in the first five months this year, significantly reclaiming public space across the city.

This action was carried out under the direction of the Special Task Force (STF), which was established in 2018 to address encroachments and unauthorised constructions on both public and private land.

According to the latest report of the STF accessed by PTI, till the end of May 2025, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) cleared 584 kilometers of roads, followed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), which cleared 390.61 km of road length, and the Public Works Department (PWD), which has cleared 59.56 km of roads from encroachment this year.

In Delhi, the MCD has jurisdiction over 15,582 km of road length. These are 60 ft or less in width, and PWD manages 1400 km of road length, 60 ft or above in width. These are the two major road owning agencies in the city. Since its inception till May 31, it has received a total of 208,696 complaints from several urban local bodies, out of which action has been taken on 193,740, while 14,956 complaints are pending, government documents said.

The STF recommends that land-owning agencies prioritise the protection and recovery of encroached public land.

"Among all the agencies, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (North) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) have the highest pendency, of 5,282 and 1,977, respectively," it added.

During the anti-encroachment drives carried out by the MCD, New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC), Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Police, these agencies confiscate items and vehicles lying on the right of way.

"Under the anti-encroachment drives, the agencies cleared 227,071.94 square meters (sqm) of space under temporary structures and 1,029.44 sqm of permanent structures," the documents said further. In 2025, 11,726 items were confiscated, with the highest numbers under the jurisdiction of MCD (South) at 4,701, followed by NDMC - 4,392.

In the same period, a total of 2,951 vehicles were lifted, the highest by Delhi Police at 2,821. The STF issued 6,428 challans this year and among them, the highest was by Delhi Police - 5,394.

In the past few months, authorities, including DDA, have taken several encroachment removal drives, clearing space on roads, drains, and footpaths.

Earlier in May, Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta kicked off a mega-cleanliness drive in the city under which the MCS not only cleared roads but also spaces under flyovers and temporary encroachments were removed. PTI SSM RT