News: Farmhouse compounds found on protected Aravali land in seven villages-25-05-2023
The forest department has found illegal construction of farmhouses in around 50 acres of land that falls under the protected Aravali plantation area across seven villages in Gurgaon.
Officials said on Wednesday they issued 50 notices, which give defaulters until the end of the month to remove the structures. If they don't clear the area by May 31, the department will carry out a drive to demolish the structures next month. Illegal construction was found in Manesar, Shikohpur, Sahrawan, Naurangpur, Sakatpur, Ghata and Behrampur after a survey, they said
"It has been found that houses and farmhouses have been built illegally on the land of the Aravali plantation project. Showcase notices have been issued and they have been ordered to remove the illegal structures. If this order is not followed, these houses will be demolished," said Karmaveer Malik, range officer (Gurgaon).
Areas that are part of the Aravali Plantation project are notified under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, which prohibits chopping down trees and any non-forest construction.
The forest department's survey was carried out after TOI, on May 13, reported that 35 acres of Aravali forest area - also part of the Aravali Plantation project - had been levelled to build farmhouses off the Golf Course Road Extension in Behrampur village. Construction workers were found in those fenced-off compounds and satellite imagery showed that the area, which used to be enveloped in green, was almost barren five years apart.
On Wednesday, experts said the survey's findings underscore that laws to protect the Aravalis are being flouted blatantly
"It's worrying to hear about so many constructions in the Aravalis. We hope that the forest department is able to follow through and remove the encroachments in time to carry out a plantation drive in the monsoon," said Chetan Agarwal, a forest analyst.
Sunil Harsana, an ecologist and wildlife expert, said the forest area in this region is part of a wildlife corridor. "Carrying out non-forest activities will not only affect the forest cover, but also impact the wildlife distribution pattern. As a result, humananimal conflicts will increase in the region," he said.
The Aravali plantation project, carried out in the 1990s to revive around 33,000 hectares in six districts of Haryana, was notified under FCA after the Supreme Court ordered to do so in a 2004 ruling. Haryana has just around 3.6% of its total categorised as forests - among the lowest for any state in India.
