More than 4,500 properties across DLF Phases I to V have been flagged for building and zoning violations, with officials estimating that nearly 60 per cent of plots in these upscale residential colonies are in breach of planning norms.
The list, compiled by the Town and Country Planning (TCP) Department and accessed by The Tribune, reveals violations on a far larger scale than the ongoing sealing drive has so far touched. It runs into both general category plots and Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) plots.
DLF Phase III emerges as the worst offender, accounting for close to 60 per cent of all listed violations and explaining why the District Town Planner’s (Enforcement) recent demolitions and sealing operations have been concentrated in the area.
The most reported violation is unmistakable: construction in stilt. Across the general category list, numerous properties have been flagged for illegal rooms raised in stilt parking, covered cut-outs and breached setbacks. The issue of stilt-plus-four constructions is currently under consideration before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The list also identifies unauthorised hotels and guest houses, particularly along Akashneem, Jacranda and Dakshin Marg in DLF Phase II. Among the establishments named in the official records are Windsor Castle, Ahuja Residency and Stepstone Hotel.
The EWS category reflects widespread alleged misuse of plots meant for affordable housing. According to the TCP Department, entire Sectors — 20, 21, 35, 50, 52, 60, 64, 73, 75, 77, 78, 79 and 80 — have been converted into paying guest accommodations, guest houses, hotels, cloud kitchens and saloons. Hotel Orange Inn and Q-Stays appear in the official list.
The figures are, if anything, a conservative floor. Many entries are clubbed plots — a single line covering five or six plots at once — meaning the actual number of violations could be higher.
Speaking to The Tribune, District Town Planner (Enforcement) Amit Madholia said the department would adopt a zero-tolerance approach towards building violations and confirmed that the sealing drive, currently paused, would resume after June 30.
“There is zero tolerance to building violations,” Madholia said, adding that enforcement would pick up pace once the current deadline passes.
The resumption of the sealing drive is likely to affect thousands of residents and tenants across DLF colonies. Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), however, have long argued that enforcement drives tend to stall after a handful of high-visibility demolitions.
With more than 4,500 properties now officially flagged, the real test would begin after June 30: whether the action this time will match the scale of the list?
