Jaipur: Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) Tuesday told the Rajasthan High Court that it has begun removing encroachments from the proposed 30-metre-wide road corridor between Sodala and Gurjar Ki Thadi and has cleared a 700-metre stretch so far. Citing objections from occupants, protests, prolonged demarcation work and jurisdictional issues involving Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC), JDA sought four more weeks to complete the drive. The court would hold a hearing on the matter in the coming days.The submission was made through a compliance affidavit filed by JDA secretary Gaurav Saini in a petition filed by Suresh Chand Rawat and others, following high court directions to survey the road, identify encroachments and take steps for their removal.The court is hearing a PIL by residents alleging encroachments and unauthorised constructions on roads and road corridors in the Sodala–Vishwa Nagar–Gurjar Ki Thadi area, seeking removal of obstructions in the way of the 100-foot New Sanganer Road proposed in the city’s Master Plan.In another development, Mohan Lal Kumawat, who had earlier filed an application seeking impleadment as a party in the PIL, had approached Supreme Court seeking a stay on the encroachment drive. However, Tuesday, Kumawat, through his counsel Sumit Terrwal, maintained that he does not want to press this petition. Accordingly, a division bench of the apex court asked him to go back to the high court.JDA told the court it launched a multi-departmental operation involving its enforcement, engineering, town planning and revenue wings. “We have informed the court that dedicated teams were constituted and deployed along the entire 2.4-km stretch and served 210 notices on Sept 28. From the early hours of Monday, we launched a full-scale demolition drive that resulted in physical clearance of encroachments and other obstacles from both sides of the road over a continuous 700-metre stretch of the total 2.4-km corridor,” said Amit Kudi, counsel for JDA.JDA also said it needs additional time to address 124 objections that fall within JMC’s operational jurisdiction, adding that the remaining structures cannot be removed without completing the statutory process and coordinating with JMC.
