GDA halts beautification project after protests

The Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) on Wednesday called off a beautification project following protests by land grabbers who were accused of illegally building a temple in a green belt.

Police said when a GDA squad reached the spot at Rajnagar to clean the area to construct a walking track alongside the green belt, locals who had illegally grabbed the land confronted the officials and forced them to stop their work.

The protesters, some dressed in saffron, shouted slogans against the GDA, witnesses said.

Although the Sub-Divisional Magistrate and the Superintendent of Police were called to maintain peace, the GDA decided to spare the temple but cleaned the other grabbed portion of the green belt, said GDA Secretary Ravendra Madhukar Godbole.

"We have chalked out a plan to beautify the city. We were to develop a walking track alongside the green belt so that senior citizens and others could undertake their morning walk in peace," another official said.

"But the land grabbers who had made a temple like structure and cordoned off the area for cattle created disruptions and our work had to be halted," the official added.

--IANS

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