News: Five months after NGT order, no razing drive on protected land in Aravalis-31-05-2023
Despite orders by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over five months ago, the district administration is yet to demolish illegal construction on protected Aravali lands in the city.
On December 9 last year, NGT had directed the Haryana government to set up monitoring committees to review progress until all encroachments are removed from land notified under ‘gair mumkin pahar’ (uncultivable hill) in Gurgaon, Faridabad and Nuh.
A committee hasn’t been formed either. Environmentalists alleged on Tuesday that instead of following the NGT order and taking action, the district administration has allowed construction to go on in areas such as Raisina. Several new boundary walls have come up for construction of farmhouses, they alleged.
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said he has asked Sohna subdistrict magistrate to organise demolition drives in Raisina. “It was brought to my knowledge that mined stones are being used in Raisina for construction. I have directed the SDM Sohna to take weekly action and remove all encroachments. The SDM will prepare a weekly timetable to carry out large scale demolition drives. The SDM also told me that authorities have removed small encroachments, but no large demolition drives have been carried out so far,” Yadav said
When asked, Sohna SDM Pradeep Kumar said, “We will hold a meeting with the staff to check the progress in this case.”
Areas categorised as ‘gair mumkin pahar’ are protected under Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which prohibits felling of trees and any construction without permission.
According to a forest department survey last year, at least 500 farmhouses have been built illegally on the Aravalis in Gurgaon. Most of these are concentrated in areas like Gwalpahari, Abheypur, Gairatpur Bas, Sohna, Raisena and Manesar
“MC Sohna had demolished 80 structures out of 424 structures in the area falling under its jurisdiction. There has been a stay order in 165 farmhouses… MCG had removed 59 violations in Sikandarpur Ghosi area and restored five acre of land. MCG had removed encroachment on seven acres of land in Gwal pahari. Further, MCG had identified and demolished nineteen farmhouses constructed in violation at village Bandhwari,” the forest department had told NGT in August 2022.
Activists said that the NGT has passed several orders to protect the Aravalis, but little is done on the ground.
“Hardly any old constructions have been removed in Raisina, and new walls and buildings are being constructed. This is despite NGT judgments to remove encroachments and restore the Aravalis, and form a district level committee to implement the same. What will it take to follow the orders,” asked Chetan Agarwal, a forest analyst.
