Major Demolition of Illegal Structures on Protected Aravali Land, ET RealEstate
GURUGRAM: Eight unauthorised structures built on around 10 acres of land at Ansal Aravali Retreat in Raisina were demolished on Wednesday by a team of Sohna municipal council officials. This was the third demolition drive carried out in Raisina this year.
Officials got the illegal structures cleared using earthmovers. “Demolition is being carried out by the municipal council officials. It will continue tomorrow as well. Today, eight unauthorised constructions were demolished,” deputy commissioner Ajay Kumar told TOI.
The area where the action was taken comes under the Aravali notification of 1992, which prohibits construction and felling of trees without permission in protected areas. Non-forest activities are not allowed on land classified as ‘gair mumkin pahad’ (uncultivable hill).
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) in 2022 directed the Haryana and Rajasthan govts to set up a monitoring committee and conduct periodic reviews till all encroachments were cleared from the affected areas.
In July, TOI reported that barely two weeks after the district administration demolished farmhouses deemed illegal at Ansal Aravali Retreat in Raisina, reconstruction efforts were going on in full swing. Demolished buildings were being rebuilt, more forestland was cleared, new roads came up, and electricity poles were erected.
In Feb, it was also found that on a 20-acre plot in a protected area of the Aravalis, there was an airstrip that stretched up to 550m and a hangar for small planes.
Approximately 800 unauthorised farmhouses, banquet halls, boundary walls, and other structures have been identified in various Aravali villages of Gurgaon and Faridabad. According to a forest department survey, at least 500 farmhouses were illegally built in areas around Gwalpahari, Abheypur, Gairatpur Bas, Sohna, Raisina, and Manesar. Demolitions were carried out in Raisina last week.
Environmentalists said despite demolition drives, the area is witnessing encroachment on a massive scale. “NGT in 2022 directed illegal buildings to be razed, and the area to be restored. This has not happened yet. These periodic demolition drives will not help curb encroachments,” said colonel SS Oberoi (retd), an environmentalist.
