New Delhi, Oct. 20 -- The Supreme Court has directed the police and district authorities in Gautam Buddh Nagar to remove all encroachments from plots allotted to Unitech Group in Noida's sectors 96, 97 and 98, after a government-appointed board said entire villages had come up on the land, stalling construction of flats and delaying relief for thousands of homebuyers.

In an order passed on October 14, a bench of justices JB Pardiwala and KV Viswanathan expressed concern over the encroachments, warning that prolonged occupation could make their eventual removal difficult.

"We are informed by some of the learned counsel appearing in the matter that many open plots of the company (Unitech) have been encroached upon. This is something very ...