Demolition drive in Aravallis after 800 illegal structures identified
Gurugram deputy commissioner, Nishant Kumar Yadav, on Wednesday issued directions to prevent illegal mining and construction activities in the Aravalli region
Gurugram: Two days after Hindustan Times reported an alarming rise in the construction of illegal farmhouses over the past year, contrary to the forest department’s claims of no new construction or illegal mining, the district administration has ordered the demolition of illegal farm houses and boundary walls in the Aravallis.
Officials aware of the matter said the demolition drive was aimed at removing nearly 800 illegal structures in the eco-sensitive Aravallis and is set to commence within a week.
Gurugram deputy commissioner, Nishant Kumar Yadav, on Wednesday issued directions to prevent illegal mining and construction activities in the Aravalli region. He said it is necessary to increase vigilance and take strict action against the perpetrators. “The Sohna sub-divisional magistrate has been tasked with overseeing the operation. We will carry out marking and ensure that illegal construction is not carried out again and if anyone is involved, strict action will be taken against the landowner,” he said.
Yadav further added that the administration and forest department will keep a check on the movement of labourers entering the Aravallis to carry out construction work. “We have plans to install CCTV cameras to keep a check on the forest areas. We are also likely to use drone cameras. Surveillance will be increased since the issue has come to our notice,” he said.
The officials said that the landowners were given show-cause notices earlier too and told to clear the structures as these were constructed in violation of rules.
Yadav said the owners of properties built before October 24, 1980 — when the Forest (Conservation) Act came into effect — would need to submit evidence of construction to be exempt from the demolitions.
The district administrations of Gurugram and Faridabad, along with the Haryana Forest Department, have mapped the areas where illegal structures have come up and prepared an extensive demolition plan.
According to the forest department’s estimates, there are 500 illegal farmhouses in the Aravallis.
The construction contractor at Raisina in Sohna said that the notices are pasted on the main gate but no one takes cognizance of any notice. “On Wednesday, fresh constructions began in three farm houses and the construction material was transported from Sohna, there was no check at all. Many gates are lying on the ground which have notices pasted on them from the forest department. The officials have visited and seen the area but nothing has changed,” said Surya Kant one of the contractors who is working in the Aravallis for the last 14 years.
The Supreme Court on July 21, 2022, ruled that land notified under Section 4 of PLPA should be treated as forests, where provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, would be applicable. Certain areas in Faridabad’s Anangpur, Ankhir, Lakkarpur, and Mewla Maharajpur villages have land notified under this section.
Last December, an exercise by the state government uncovered 6,793 illegal structures on protected land in four Faridabad villages. Anangpur village alone accounted for 5,948 of these structures, while Ankhir had 339, Lakkarpur 313, and Mewla Maharajpur 193. Most of these illegal buildings are farmhouses and banquet halls.
The Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), established in 1990 to safeguard forest land, is enforced in ten Haryana districts: Gurugram, Faridabad, Palwal, Nuh, Panchkula, Ambala, Yamunanagar, Mahendergarh, Rewari and Bhiwani.
