Noida: The Yamuna Authority reclaimed around 62 acres of encroached land meant for the Heritage City and Raya Urban Centre projects in Mathura district on Wednesday. Officials have estimated the land’s market value at nearly Rs 1,000 crore.Demolition drives were conducted in the villages of Piprauli Khadar, Aruwa Khadar, and Panigaon Khadar. Teams demolished under-construction illegal hotels and roadside eateries that had come up within the Heritage City limits. Officials said the area has recently seen a surge in unauthorised commercial and residential activity.Action has been taken against an unauthorised colony that developed over nearly 2 hectares along the Yamuna riverbank. Two illegal colonies that had emerged in the project’s core zone, Aruwa Khadar and Piprauli Khadar, were razed. The operation was led by YEIDA OSD Shailendra Kumar Singh, with support from the Mathura administration and police. Personnel from 11 police stations and the PAC were deployed and the exercise continued peacefully till 6pm. YEIDA said similar action will continue across project areas.In a separate demolition drive on Monday, YEIDA had cleared encroachments from over 25 acres across its notified area, with the land value pegged at around Rs 400 crore. Spread over 12 acres in Dayanatpur village, an unauthorised colony branded as “Green City” was demolished. Similar action was taken on an adjoining 7-acre parcel where illegal plotting was underway. Authorities also removed unlawful structures along the 60-metre-wide road leading to the Noida International Airport. In Sabota Mustafabad village, nearly 6 acres were freed from encroachment.Officials said in the past three years, YEIDA has conducted nearly 30 major drives, reclaiming land worth around Rs 7,500 crore. They added that the land mafias have become active across the Jewar–Mathura–Aligarh belt after the airport announcement and rapid industrial growth pushed up land prices.Scammers often carve up farmlands into illegal plots without approval, put up boundary walls and signboards to make the sites appear authorised and lure Delhi-NCR buyers by marketing them as “dream homes” near the upcoming airport in Jewar.
