Curation Team
NOIDA: In one of its biggest actions yet against illegal colonies mushrooming around the Noida International Airport, the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) on Tuesday freed nearly 155 acres of land valued at Rs 2,500 crore in Bulandshahr.
The demolition drive comes a day after a TOI report—Khosla ka Ghosla, by invite: With car pickups & fake maps, land sharks net ‘airport investors’—on Monday flagged how land mafia was luring unsuspecting homebuyers to invest in projects marketed as “prime airport plots” in Khair tehsil of Aligarh.
On Tuesday, a team led by OSD Shailendra Kumar Singh razed illegal colonies, including Aeronest Coloniser (Jhajhar), Shri Radha Gauri Enclave (Kakod), and Rudra Properties (Kakod), in Jhajhar and Kakod villages.
Singh said FIRs were being lodged against land mafias in the case, adding that the drive would be extended to Khair tehsil of Aligarh, Mathura, Bulandshahr and areas adjoining Jewar.
YEIDA’s jurisdiction spans six districts — Gautam Budh Nagar, Bulandshahr, Hathras, Aligarh, Mathura and Agra.
With rapid development projects such as the airport, Film City, Logistic Park and Heritage City, land prices surged dramatically, making the region a prime target for land grabbing and unauthorised real estate activity.
The menace is not hidden from YEIDA. Last week, YEIDA freed 27 acres of land worth Rs 226 crore in Jewar Bangar and Mewla Gopalgarh villages, filing FIRs against builders for illegal plotting and unauthorised construction.
In May, the Authority with support from Aligarh administration freed 67 acres of land worth over Rs 407 crore from three villages—Tappal, Sirsedhi, and Helupur—where illegal colonies were marketed under names like Airport City, Cherry Buildcon, Zammen Expert, Aerocity Project, and MRJK Township. FIRs were registered against 57 people during the drive.
Last year, YEIDA issued notices to over 300 illegal colonisers in Gautam Budh Nagar, Aligarh, Mathura, and Bulandshahr in May.
Over the past three years until Tuesday, YEIDA conducted 25 large-scale anti-encroachment drives, reclaiming land worth nearly Rs 2,500 crore.
“Our message is clear: No one can sell or purchase notified land. Buyers should verify land records with YEIDA before making any investment,” YEIDA CEO Rakesh Kumar Singh said.
A senior YEIDA official stressed the need for public awareness. “People are lured by the dream of owning property near the airport. But they must remember, if it is not allotted or approved by YEIDA, it is illegal — no matter how real it looks on the ground. Do not fall for weekend site visits and free cab rides. Verify before you buy,” he added.
