By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 29 Apr: In what the Dehradun Municipal Corporation (Doon Nagar Nigam) calls a decisive effort to reclaim public spaces and ensure the orderly development of the city, Municipal Commissioner Namami Bansal today convened a meeting with senior Corporation officials and staff of the Land Section to discuss the operations of the newly constituted Zebra Force. The meeting focused on strengthening anti-encroachment measures within the municipal limits, inspired by similar initiatives in cities like Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad, where thousands of illegal structures have been demolished in recent months.
During the meeting, Bansal directed the officials to conduct daily inspections across rivers, drains, roads, footpaths, parks, and other public areas within the municipal jurisdiction. She insisted that encroachments must be removed ward-wise, restoring public property to its rightful, encroachment-free state. The Zonal Zebra Force has been tasked with submitting daily reports of their activities to the Municipal Commissioner’s office.
This renewed push comes as anti-encroachment campaigns gain momentum nationwide. It may be recalled that the Pune Municipal Corporation recently reported the removal of over 54,000 encroachments in a single year, collecting substantial fines and restoring public spaces for community use. Similarly, the Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (which is twin city of Pune) has cleared thousands of unauthorised structures, deploying heavy machinery and a large workforce to reclaim civic amenity spaces.
Among those who participated in the meeting included the Assistant Municipal Commissioner, Tax Superintendent, Tax Inspectors, and other officers and employees, all of whom ‘pledged their commitment’ to the anti-encroachment drive
