The Ghaziabad district administration has demolished 14 illegal shops constructed on municipal land near Jama Masjid in Modinagar and imposed a penalty of Rs 2.2 crore on the encroachers. Officials confirmed that notices had been issued to the shop owners prior to the demolition, after which the structures were dismantled.
Details of the Encroachment
District Magistrate Ravinder Kumar Mandar stated that the shops were built on a road in Begumabad by the manager of the mosque, Mohammad Aarif. He had either sold or leased these properties to others. A case regarding this matter is currently ongoing. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM) issued an order on May 18 declaring all shops on this road as illegal. The administration announced the drive two days in advance, resulting in 11 shops being demolished by the owners themselves, while three were demolished by the authorities.
Operation Execution
On Monday at noon, a district administration team, accompanied by police, arrived at the site and launched the operation. Officials from the Modinagar Municipal Council were also present during the demolition.
Legal Background
The Modinagar Municipal Council had filed a case in the court of the SDM. In an order dated November 30, 2023, the court directed the eviction of the encroacher and the recovery of a penalty of Rs 2.23 crore. A subsequent application for restoration, filed against this order, was rejected by the court on April 28, 2025, upholding the original order. Officials emphasized that illegal occupation of government land will not be tolerated and warned that such actions against encroachments will continue.
Sub-Divisional Magistrate of Modinagar Ajit Singh said, 'In the gazetted maps of the district, this land was shown as a road, but it was illegally encroached upon by Mohammad Aarif. The case was taken to court, and it was found that he had encroached upon the land. The action has been taken as per the court order.'
The estimated value of the land, based on circle rates, is Rs 2.75 crore.
