Noida: Gautam Buddh Nagar police commissionerate said it has helped free encroached land worth more than Rs 5,900 crore in 2025-26 as part of a major anti-encroachment drive. The large-scale campaign was carried out jointly by the police and development authorities across Noida and Greater Noida.The campaign was launched under directions from police commissioner Laxmi Singh with the objective of removing illegal encroachments from govt and authority-owned land and taking strict action against land mafias operating in the district. So far, a total of 13,25,960 square yards have been freed. The drive will continue in the coming months, officials said.Data showed that the largest concentration of land was recovered from the central Noida zone, where 8,89,127 square yards worth more than Rs 5,000 crore were cleared of encroachments. In the Greater Noida zone, encroachments were removed from 4,21,833 square yards of land valued at around Rs 836 crore. In the Noida zone, 15,000 square yards of land worth nearly Rs 58 crore were freed.According to officials, these encroachments were a major hurdle in planned urban development and execution of govt projects in several areas of the district. In many cases, land mafias and encroachers allegedly constructed illegal structures on public land, affecting infrastructure and civic development work.Police said strict legal action was taken during the campaign, and cases were registered against several accused persons involved in illegal occupation of govt land. Anti-encroachment drives are not only aimed at recovering land but also at strengthening law and order and restoring public confidence in the administration, officials added.“The objective of the campaign is to protect valuable govt and authority land from illegal occupation and ensure that such land can be used again for public welfare and development projects,” an officer said.Coordinated efforts between police teams and local development authorities played a crucial role in successfully carrying out the operations across the district, and action against illegal encroachment and land mafias will continue with full force in the future, officials said.
