Gurugram: On NGT order, farmhouses struck off records, but not on the ground

GURUGRAM: The change in revenue records to strike out the term ‘gair mumkin pahar’, on the orders of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) after nearly a decade-long court battle, hasn’t stopped construction on the protected Aravali land.

TOI on Wednesday found construction activity at two sites at the Ansals Aravali Retreat in the Raisina hills area, which are protected under the Aravali Notification 1992. While land has been cleared and a fence built at one site, a borewell has been dug on the other.

Showcause notices were issued to owners of several hundred farmhouses in the same area in June, but no action has been taken to clear the illegal structures yet.

District revenue officer Basti Ram said the revenue records have been modified and particulars submitted to NGT as per the court’s order.

When contacted, officials of the Sohna Municipal Council said they had already written to MCG for taking action against the illegal farmhouses in Raisina. “To the showcause notices, we have received 300 replies from the Ansals Aravali Retreat farmhouse owners, in which they claimed to have legally bought the land. Hence, they have asked us to consider the same as private land,” said an official.

“Anyway, we have written to the MCG for taking appropriate action as per the direction of NGT. We have also sent our findings to the deputy commissioner for further review,” he added.

Environmentalists, however, said that a district-level committee was set up in accordance with an NGT order of October 2018 for clearing illegal constructions and restoring the forest. “But construction is still underway. No action has been taken against the farmhouse owners who were served showcause notices in June. Why is the district administration not taking action?” said Col SS Oberoi, an environmentalist.