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Failure to Demolish Illegal Constructions on Protected Aravali Lands Despite NGT Orders

By Rishabh Chamoli | 2023-06-02

The district administration in the city has failed to demolish illegal constructions on protected Aravali lands, despite orders from the National Green Tribunal (NGT) over five months ago. In December of last year, the NGT directed the Haryana government to establish monitoring committees to oversee the progress of removing encroachments on gair mumkin pahar (uncultivable hill) lands in Gurgaon, Faridabad, and Nuh.

Environmentalists have accused the district administration of allowing construction to continue in areas like Raisina, instead of taking action as per the NGT order. They have observed the construction of new boundary walls for farmhouse development. Deputy Commissioner Nishant Yadav has instructed the Sohna sub district magistrate to conduct weekly demolition drives in Raisina to remove all encroachments.

The Sohna SDM confirmed that a meeting would be held with staff to assess the progress in the case. Areas classified as gair mumkin pahar are protected under Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which prohibits tree felling and unauthorized construction.

A forest department survey conducted last year shows that at least 500 illegal farmhouses have been built on the Aravalis in Gurgaon. These structures are mainly concentrated in areas such as Gwalpahari, Abheypur, Gairatpur Bas, Sohna, Raisena, and Manesar. The forest department informed the NGT in August 2022 that the Municipal Corporation of Sohna had demolished 80 out of 424 structures under its jurisdiction. There were stay orders on 165 farmhouses, and the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon had removed 59 violations in the Sikandarpur Ghosi area.

Activists have expressed frustration with the lack of action on the ground despite multiple NGT orders to protect the Aravalis. They highlight the ongoing construction in Raisina, the failure to remove encroachments and restore the Aravalis, and the non formation of a district level committee to enforce the NGT directives. They question why the orders are not being followed and emphasize the need for compliance.