Nine days after assuring the Supreme Court that all illegal encroachments within its jurisdiction would be removed within two weeks, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has reclaimed over 60 kilometres of road (right of way) across the city as of Thursday, data shared by the authority showed.Right of way (RoW) refers to public land legally meant for un-obstructed roads, footpaths, utilities, and emergency access.The ongoing campaign has targeted major arterial corridors across Old Gurgaon, Golf Course Extension Road, the Southern Peripheral Road, and newly developed sectors towards Manesar.The commitment was made in the top court on August 4. Moving into field execution since Monday, the authority deployed 12 multi-departmental enforcement teams and heavy machinery to systematically clear public land, sector-dividing roads, green belts, and footpaths.The enforcement drive has seen a steady day-by-day expansion in coverage across the city’s road network, a GMDA spokesperson said.On Monday, enforcement teams reclaimed approximately 16 kilometres of road space by late evening, focusing primarily on dense stretches in Old Gurgaon.Another 15 kilometres of road space was covered the next day, targeting major sector-dividing roads, commercial corridors, and key intersections.Story continues below this adOn Wednesday, the third day of the drive, field teams cleared encroachments along 13 kilometres of government land and arterial stretches, clearing critical road margins.The campaign on Thursday saw its largest single-day expansion as operations shifted decisively into New Gurgaon, clearing nearly 25 kilometres of encroached right of way and pushing the total reclaimed road space past the 60-kilometre mark.Focus areas The geographical scope of the drive spanned across older urban centers and newly emerging sectors. In Old Gurgaon, enforcement teams cleared heavy obstructions along Old Railway Road, Dhanwapur Road, Sheetla Mata Road, and the sector-dividing roads between Sectors 4, 7, 8, and 9.Along Golf Course Extension Road and the Southern Peripheral Road network, the operation cleared major corridors including the Vatika Chowk to Ghata stretch and the Vatika Chowk to National Highway stretch. As field teams moved into New Gurgaon sectors towards Manesar, operations focused heavily on Sectors 58 through 80, reclaiming road margins along the sector-dividing roads of Sectors 61, 62, 63, 63A, 70, 72, 73, and 75.Ramps over drains and green beltsStory continues below this adBeyond temporary kiosks and commercial vendors, the enforcement drive also focussed on structural encroachments by property owners and local residents. A major focal point was the removal of hundreds of illegal ramps built directly over public stormwater drains. In several residential and commercial areas, encroachers had constructed concrete ramps over drainage lines and paved them with tiles, converting public drainage corridors into private space and preventing essential maintenance and desilting operations.The operation also highlighted the issue of quick re-encroachment on recently reclaimed public land. Officials noted fresh encroachments on green belts that had been cleared and developed barely six months ago. Teams removed dozens of unauthorised signboards, tin sheds, and commercial structures from these green zones.Additionally, in residential sectors, around 40 houses were found to have illegally extended their boundary walls and private premises into public green belts and the right of way, all of which were demolished during the field action.GMDA officials stated that the drive will continue in a phased manner, with field teams conducting regular post-demolition surveillance to ensure reclaimed footpaths, green belts, and carriageways are not re-occupied. 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). 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