Illegal construction thrives in Mussoorie

With most officials of the Mussoorie Dehradun Development Authority (MDDA) on election duty, illegal construction is rapidly increasing in the Queen of Hills. Illegal construction of a number of roadside shacks has been reported from various parts of the town including Camel’s Back road, Gandhi Chowk to Municipal Garden road and Motilal Nehru Road over the past week. Residents have also reported illegal construction activities in localities like Zafar Hall, Indra Colony, near Zero Point and Civil Hospital. “Illegal construction is increasing as the people are taking advantage of the fact that the MDDA officials are on poll duty,” a resident said. Even on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road, which has already been marred by a large number of illegal shacks, a number of new shacks are coming up. Such shacks (most of which are food joints) lead to roadside parking of vehicles on the already narrow road which results in traffic bottlenecks. Reacting to the issue, assistant engineer of MDDA, Manoj Joshi said, “Most of our staff has been put on election duty and there are only one or two people left in Mussoorie. Therefore, illegal activities may have taken place.”