Over 5,000 illegal structures have mushroomed within the high-security 900-metre restricted buffer zone surrounding the Indian Air Force (IAF) Ammunition Depot in Gurugram over the past five years alone.
The startling revelation, detailed in an internal Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) report, highlights what officials describe as a near-collapse of regulatory oversight in the area. The report contrasts the situation with the civic body's active anti-encroachment drives and demolition of illegal Stilt+4 buildings just a few kilometres away in master-planned sectors such as DLF Phases.
From illegal PG accommodations and unapproved cloud kitchens to makeshift corporate offices and unauthorised swimming pools, commercial activity within the defence zone continues largely unchecked. In localities such as Sheetla Colony, Dharam Colony, Rajiv Nagar and along Carterpuri Road, developers and land mafias are allegedly operating with impunity.
While licensed sectors are subject to strict height restrictions and close scrutiny over additional storeys, buildings within the restricted defence buffer routinely rise to five, six or even seven storeys. Developers have also excavated deep unauthorised basements and converted open ground space into illegal private parking, all on narrow plots without structural safety certificates or municipal approvals.
The consequences of this unregulated expansion are severe. Internal roads, already inadequate for high-density habitation, have been further encroached upon by extended balconies, concrete staircases and commercial shopfronts. In many areas, the lanes have become so narrow that emergency vehicles cannot pass. In the event of a major fire, fire tenders would struggle to navigate the congested lanes, potentially leaving thousands of residents and commercial occupants trapped in multi-storey buildings with little or no safety compliance.
The ongoing violations have also drawn sharp criticism from political representatives, who argue that the absence of a formal regulatory framework is worsening the crisis.
"My push to regularise this area and resolve the 900-meter restriction with the Defence Ministry is precisely to bring these residential pockets under clear building bylaws and planned municipal regulation," said Gurugram MLA Mukesh Sharma. "Without a formal regulatory framework, thousands of residents who pay local taxes remain deprived of civic amenities, while land mafias exploit the legal vacuum to erect chaotic, unauthorised multi-storey structures. Bringing the area under clear rules is the only permanent way to curtail this rampant construction menace and restore urban order."
Administrative action is also beginning to take shape. Following the recent sealing of an illegal swimming pool operating within the 900-metre zone—which was allegedly extracting groundwater without permission through an illegal tubewell—the civic body has signalled a broader enforcement drive and reassigned responsibility for compliance in the area.
"The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram maintains zero tolerance toward illegal constructions and unauthorised commercial activities, particularly within sensitive defence zones," stated MCG Commissioner Pradeep Dahiya. "We have already transferred out the Junior Engineer concerned of the area and handed over the charge to another officer to ensure strict, uncompromising enforcement on the ground. A massive, systematic crackdown will be launched soon across the entire 900-meter radius, and our action against the illegal swimming pool marks the beginning of this drive."
Despite standing orders from the Punjab and Haryana High Court prohibiting fresh construction within the 900-metre buffer zone, construction continues unabated at more than 190 locations. With field-level responsibilities now reassigned and political leaders calling for structural reforms, residents hope the authorities will sustain strict enforcement to avert a major civic disaster.