NEW DELHI: A massive demolition drive was launched in the early hours of Thursday to remove encroachments spread over nearly 1 lakh square metres of government land along the Sabarmati riverbank in the Gujarat capital, officials said. The drive began around 4 am in the Pethapur area by the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation (GMC) in coordination with the state Roads and Buildings (R&B) department and local police, PTI reported. District Superintendent of Police Ravi Teja Vasamsetty said nearly 700 illegal structures had been identified for demolition, of which around 150 houses and shops were razed by Thursday afternoon. “A total of 20 teams from R&B and GMC are supervising the drive. Nearly 700 policemen, including officers, have been deployed to maintain law and order,” he told reporters.Police official said the encroached land is valued at around Rs 1,000 crore. The demolition drive is expected to continue for the next two to three days until all identified structures are cleared.