‘Knew what would happen’: Gurgaon sealing drive extends to Sushant Lok, South City

The stilt office at the A Block PG in Sushant Lok that was sealed. (Express Photo)

A residential home with rooms carved into its parking area, a guest house spread across two plots, four-storey houses operating as commercial lodgings: Several properties in two of Gurgaon’s well-known colonies were sealed by the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) on Thursday.

The enforcement wing of the DTCP continued its crackdown on illegal constructions in residential areas, this time in Sushant Lok-1 Block A and South City-1. The drive targeted paying guest (PG) accommodations, unauthorised guest houses, commercial establishments and rooms built illegally in stilt parking areas.

Action in Sushant Lok

Among the properties sealed in Sushant Lok was a PG functioning out of A-589. By Thursday, only rubble and the remains of desks and walls were left on its ground floor. A poster outside warned that an FIR would be registered if the seals and locks were tampered with.

The building had been cleared after residents were informed and given notices last month.

An official of the property, who was there to collect some documents after the drive, said: “We knew what would happen and that we had no other choice. All the videos going viral online of the drive showed the authorities do not listen to us.”

He said they catered to students and young people who start earning. “We were given a notice but can we find a new livelihood for all those we employed so fast?”

The ongoing drive follows recent directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Supreme Court against illegal commercial activities and unauthorised constructions in private licensed colonies. According to officials, a recent department survey found widespread violations across nearly 90% of surveyed properties in these sectors.

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In Blocks A and C, enforcement teams specifically targeted illegal constructions in stilt parking areas, using earthmovers and manual labour to tear down brick partitions and UPVC door-window assemblies used to divide the spaces into rental quarters, as well as offices built there.

By the end of the drive, rubble and broken masonry lay stacked in driveways.

“Stilt parking is strictly sanctioned for vehicle parking. Constructing rooms, offices, or toilets in these spaces is a direct violation of approved building plans,” said District Town Planner (Enforcement) Amit Madholia, who led the operations in the locality.

A 36-room guest house created by combining two residential plots was also sealed.

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“Owners were served prior show-cause notices and restoration orders. As they failed to restore the properties to their sanctioned state, enforcement action was initiated,” Madholia added.

A paying guest accommodation that was sealed Thursday along with its illegal stilt office being demolished at A Block of Sushant Lok. (Express Photo)

Guest houses, PGs sealed in South City

In South City 1, the enforcement team led by Assistant Town Planner (ATP) Divya Dahiya sealed several residential buildings operating as commercial hubs: a 20-room hotel; three separate guest houses; PG accommodations comprising 32, 39, and 27 rooms; and ground-floor brokerage and corporate offices in Block B.

“After the way monsoons hit the sector this time, residents were unsparing in terms of wanting properties like ours to shut,” said a guesthouse operator in South City whose stilt office was demolished and certain rooms were sealed.

“We have accommodated tenants in hotels as of now; we had moved them after we got the notice last week.”

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The operation also focused on entry-point sealing. Several four-storey homes operating as commercial lodgings were vacated, locked, and secured with departmental chains.

Red DTCP sealing notices were affixed to boundary pillars and main gates, warning that tampering with the seals would invite criminal proceedings under the Haryana Development and Regulation of Urban Areas Act.

Local residents’ welfare associations have welcomed the action, citing severe pressure on local water supply, sewer lines, and internal roads caused by high-density PGs.

DTCP officials reiterated that the drive will continue across other licensed colonies over the coming weeks, warning that persistent non-compliance will lead to the cancellation of occupation certificates and recommendations to disconnect power and water utilities.

Abhimanyu Hazarika is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express, based in Gurgaon. He covers southern Haryana. Education - Post-Graduate Diploma in Print Media, Asian College of Journalism (Class of 2020) - B.A. (Hons) Liberal Arts with a major in Political Science, Symbiosis School for Liberal Arts (Class of 2019) Professional Experience Before joining The Indian Express, he worked with Bar & Bench (legal journalism) and Frontline magazine, where he developed experience in court reporting, legal analysis, and long-form investigative features. Reporting Interests His work centres on civic accountability, environmental policy, urban infrastructure and culture, crime and law enforcement, and their intersections with politics and governance in and around Gurgaon. Recent Coverage (2025) - Crime: Reported on the recovery of 350 kg of explosives and an AK-47 from a rented house in Faridabad, linked to the 2025 Red Fort car explosion case (November 11, 2025). - Environmental policy: Covered protests outside a Haryana minister’s residence against a Supreme Court order that environmentalists argue could allow mining and real estate development on large parts of the Aravalli hills (December 21, 2025). - Pollution control measures: Co-authored coverage of the Rekha Gupta government’s enforcement of vehicle restrictions at Delhi-NCR borders (December 21, 2025). - Road safety and infrastructure: Examined response lapses in the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway hit-and-run case and ongoing investigations into high-speed road crimes in Gurugram. - Animal welfare policy: Reported on concerns regarding the low budget allocated for stray dog sterilization by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (November 30, 2025). - Urban culture: Featured the social media-driven popularity of a new Magnolia Bakery outlet in Gurugram (December 15, 2025). Contact X (Twitter): @AB_Hazardous ... Read More

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