Unauthorised construction to be demolished within 72 hrs of detection: DDA issues SOP

2 min readJul 13, 2026 09:14 AM IST

The DDA has introduced a new SOP to demolish unauthorised construction and encroachments within 72 hours of detection. (Representative image)

Unauthorised construction and encroachment on Delhi Development Authority (DDA) land will be demolished within 72 hours of detection under a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued by the agency for its Flying Squad Teams and Quick Response Teams (QRTs).

The SOP was issued days after Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu chaired a meeting of the DDA’s Advisory Council and directed a zero-tolerance approach towards encroachment across the Capital, according to the DDA.

Unauthorised construction has come under the spotlight after a recent collapse of a five-storey building near Saket Metro station in South Delhi’s Mehrauli that left six people dead, and a fire at a B&B facility in South Delhi’s Hauz Rani that claimed 23 lives.

As many as 14 Flying Squad Teams have been set up across DDA zones to carry out regular field inspections. These teams are tasked with identifying unauthorised construction and encroachment at an early stage, verifying land ownership and status, and documenting violations through geo-tagged, time-stamped photographs before submitting reports for enforcement action.

Four Quick Response Teams will undertake prompt demolition and removal operations immediately upon identification of violations and completion of the requisite legal procedures, wherever applicable, the DDA said. Their responsibilities include filing a demolition report with geo-tagged before-and-after photographs, videographing the exercise if required and installing a DDA ownership board at the site.

The SOP also allows the use of drone-based inspections and integration with Vacant Land Monitoring System (VLMS) to update land records, verify vacant plots after demolition and monitor sites to prevent re-encroachment, the DDA said. It added that ongoing unauthorised construction on private land within DDA Development Areas will also be demolished after due legal process.

The framework also assigns specific responsibilities to the DDA’s Land Management, Engineering and Horticulture departments, which the agency said are aimed at improving coordination and accountability among field officers.

Devansh Mittal is a Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in the New Delhi City bureau. He reports on urban policy, civic governance, and infrastructure in the National Capital Region, with a growing focus on housing, land policy, transport, and the disruption economy and its social implications.

Professional Background

Education: He studied Political Science at Ashoka University.

Core Beats: His reporting focuses on policy and governance in the National Capital Region, one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world. He covers housing and land policy, municipal governance, urban transport, and the interface between infrastructure, regulation, and everyday life in the city.

Recent Notable Work

His recent reporting includes in-depth examinations of urban policy and its on-ground consequences:

An investigation into subvention-linked home loans that documented how homebuyers were drawn into under-construction projects through a “builder–bank” nexus, often leaving them financially exposed when delivery stalled.

A detailed report on why Delhi’s land-pooling policy has remained stalled since 2007, tracing how fragmented land ownership, policy design flaws, and mistrust among stakeholders have kept one of the capital’s flagship urban reforms in limbo.

A reported piece examining the collapse of an electric mobility startup and what it meant for women drivers dependent on the platform for livelihoods.

Reporting Approach

Devansh’s work combines on-ground reporting with analysis of government data, court records, and academic research. He regularly reports from neighbourhoods, government offices, and courtrooms to explain how decisions on housing, transport, and the disruption economy shape everyday life in the city.

Contact

X (Twitter): @devanshmittal_

Email: [email protected] ... Read More

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