Haridwar-Roorkee 2026: HRDA razes illegal colonies, Master Plan 2041 pending

HRDA demolished unapproved colonies in Roorkee and Bhagwanpur in September 2026, while the Haridwar and Roorkee Master Plans 2041 still await final approval.

What happened

Demolitions in Roorkee and Bhagwanpur. On 9 September 2026, Amar Ujala reported that the Haridwar-Roorkee Development Authority (HRDA) had run a drive against illegal construction and unauthorised plotting in the Roorkee and Bhagwanpur areas. Its team used JCB machines to demolish colonies being developed without approval, buildings that did not follow their sanctioned maps, and construction on Nazul land. According to the authority, one colony being laid out on 3 to 4 bigha in the Shantishah area and another on about 5 to 6 bigha on Sahadevpur Road were among those acted against. The report also listed sites near the Manglaur bypass, Civil Lines, Jadugar Road and Sikandarpur Bhainswal.

A building sealed in Bhagwanpur. A day later, on 10 September 2026, Amar Ujala reported that HRDA had sealed an under-construction residential building of about 1,800 sq ft in the Bhagwanpur area. The report said work had carried on even after the authority told the builders to stop. HRDA said its campaign against unauthorised construction would continue and told builders not to start any work without approval.

Part of a longer pattern. These were not one-off actions. Amar Ujala reported on 20 April 2026 that HRDA demolished plotting on about 8 to 10 bigha in Jamalpur, near a pond on Raja Garden Road in Haridwar, where work was going on without an approved map. On 22 April 2026 it reported two sites sealed with police present, shops on Shikarpur Road in Landhaura and a tin-shed hall on the Peerpur Road–Pathanpur Road side of Roorkee. In both cases, the report said, the builders had ignored earlier notices.

Villages want out of HRDA. On 16 June 2026, Amar Ujala reported that the Haridwar district panchayat board had unanimously passed a proposal to take 277 villages out of HRDA's area. Members said the authority was limited to passing maps, that villagers had to make repeated trips to its office and often paid middlemen, and that development work reached only the towns. They asked for map-approval powers to go to the panchayat. We have not found any report that the state government has accepted this.

Master Plan 2041 is still a draft. At its 85th board meeting on 16 January 2026, chaired by Garhwal Commissioner Vinay Shankar Pandey, HRDA was shown the progress of the Haridwar and Roorkee Master Plans 2041 by the state's Chief Town and Country Planner, Khabar Sameeksha reported. On 10 February 2026, Housing Secretary Dr R. Rajesh Kumar reviewed the draft plans at the Secretariat in Dehradun. Voice of Uttarakhand reported that about 350 suggestions and objections had come in on the Haridwar plan and about 550 on the Roorkee plan, and that officials were told to finalise the plans on a strict timeline and send them for government approval. We could not find a report that either plan has been finally approved and notified as of mid-October 2026.

What it means for buyers comparing Haridwar and Roorkee with Dehradun

This section is our view.

Cheaper plots often mean unapproved plots. Many buyers look at Roorkee, Bhagwanpur or the Haridwar outskirts because land costs less than in Dehradun. The 2026 drives show the risk. A colony can be cut into plots, sold, and then bulldozed if the layout was never approved. The buyer is left with a plot, a sale deed and no road, drain or permission to build.

Ask for the HRDA layout approval, not just the registry. A registered sale deed does not mean the colony is legal. Ask the seller for the approved layout plan and check it with HRDA's office. If a dealer says approval "is in process", treat that as no approval. The same checks we suggest in our list of papers to check before buying a plot in Dehradun apply here.

The same rules apply in Dehradun. MDDA runs similar drives. Our post on MDDA demolitions and sealing in Dehradun in 2026 covers the pattern on this side of the Shivaliks.

Land use is not settled yet. Until the Master Plans 2041 are notified, land use for some areas around Haridwar and Roorkee may change. If you are buying farmland or a plot on the edge of town, ask what the draft plan shows for that khasra and keep in mind it could still change. Dehradun's own draft is at a similar stage, as our Dehradun Master Plan 2041 post explains.

Watch the 277-village proposal. If those villages do leave HRDA's area, the rules on maps there could change. Nothing has changed yet, so for now HRDA approval is still needed where it applies.

If you would rather buy within Dehradun, you can browse property for sale in Dehradun on ILA Infra.

Questions people ask

Is it safe to buy a plot in an unapproved colony in Roorkee or Haridwar?

It is risky. HRDA has demolished several such colonies in 2026, and a registry does not protect a plot whose layout was never approved. Check the layout approval with HRDA before paying anything.

Has the Haridwar-Roorkee Master Plan 2041 been approved?

Not finally, as far as we could find. The drafts drew about 350 objections for Haridwar and 550 for Roorkee, and in February 2026 officials were told to finalise them and send them for government approval.

Are 277 villages being removed from HRDA?

The Haridwar district panchayat board passed a proposal for this in June 2026. We have not seen any state government decision on it, so HRDA rules still apply for now.

Sources

Buying or selling property in Dehradun and unsure about the paperwork? Call Neeraj Thapa on +91 98320 03494.

How we write these: the ILA Infra team reads the reports listed under Sources and links every one, so you can check each figure yourself. The section on what it means for buyers is our own view, not advice.