As is now customary for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, JCB bulldozers were lined up on the highway to Meerut and Saharanpur on 21-22 September to greet visiting BJP President Nitin Nabin. The rashtriya adhyaksh looked pleased as punch when showered with flowers at a toll plaza as his convoy entered Meerut.
The welcome ceremony, however, generated considerable resentment even among BJP supporters in Meerut, where bulldozers have been busy demolishing commercial establishments built in violation of building laws. Feedback must have reached Nabin — the next day, his convoy did not stop at Saharanpur and sped past the JCBs ‘guard of honour’.
In 2024, the Supreme Court ordered the demolition of 44 properties in Meerut — residential plots put to commercial use — in Shastri Nagar’s central market. Some were sealed and some demolished.
In July, the Supreme Court was informed that the number of commercial establishments in violation of building laws might be as high as 859. In September, the number shot up to 16,726 ‘unauthorised constructions’ identified in a single survey zone. The Supreme Court ordered that the properties — schools, nursing homes, jewellery shops, sweet shops and houses for economically weaker sections — be sealed.
Residential properties converted into commercial establishments without lawful approval, unauthorised additions and encroachments into mandatory setback areas were flagged.
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