The Noida Authority has begun demolishing a commercial complex in Sector 104’s Hajipur area, removing about 20% of the structure on the first day after a court order ended a legal stay that had held up enforcement for nearly three years.
The action began at around 11am on Friday at the complex built on khasra number 412. The demolition continued for about three and a half hours before being stopped at around 1.30pm. Bulldozers, police personnel and the Authority’s enforcement team then left the site.
According to Noida Authority officials, the remaining portion of the building will be demolished after two days. The operation was paused in view of the BRICS summit being held in Delhi and the security arrangements associated with it, officials said.
The commercial complex stands on about 7,950 square metres of land. The Authority said the land had been acquired in 2002, but construction of a four-storey commercial complex began on the site in 2023. The enforcement action therefore involves both the alleged unauthorised construction and the Authority’s control over land it says had already been acquired.
The demolition had been delayed by a legal dispute. In April 2023, the parties associated with the property obtained an ex parte stay order against the Authority, according to the report. The order prevented the Authority from proceeding with demolition for about three years. The court of the Additional Civil Judge, Senior Division, recently dismissed the stay order, clearing the way for the Authority to resume action.
The site had also become a point of conflict between the Authority and people involved in the construction. The report identifies it as the same building where members of Work Circle 8 faced confrontation while attempting to stop construction. The Authority alleged that a group described as the land mafia surrounded its team. There were also allegations that the manager of Work Circle 8 was dragged inside the building, although the report does not provide an independent account of the incident.
The case highlights the operational difficulty faced by urban development authorities when enforcement action is challenged in court after construction has begun. In this instance, the Authority’s stated position on the land acquisition and the construction timeline did not translate into immediate demolition because of the ex parte stay order. The latest action follows the court’s decision to dismiss that order.
The Noida Authority is scheduled to resume demolition of the remaining structure after two days, according to officials cited in the report.
