Gurugram & Faridabad admins face tough challenge to remove encroachers from PLPA land

GURUGRAM: The Gurugram and Faridabad administrations face the challenging task of removing settlers, settlements and various kinds of construction from around 1,100 acres in the two NCR districts after the Supreme Court’s directions to the Haryana government to remove encroachments from land notified under special orders of Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA).

Officials said the process of issuing notices will begin from next week in both the districts. Forest department data shows most of this land is in Faridabad (850 acres).

The Supreme Court order on Thursday made it clear that PLPA land under this category needs to be protected as stated under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, which says “no state government or other authority shall make, except with the prior approval of the central government, any order directing that any forest land or any portion thereof may be used for any non-forest purpose”.

In Gurugram’s Aravali areas, encroachments on PLPA special orders land mostly comprise farmhouses, nurseries, slums and clusters of construction. These are concentrated in Gwalpahari, Gairatpur Bas, Sohna, Raisina and Manesar. “It will take 20 days to start removing encroachments from forest areas. We will be sending fresh notices from next week,” said a senior official from the district administration of Faridabad.

“I have asked the district attorney to examine the order and then we will take it forward case by case as per directions of the Supreme Court,” said Nishant Yadav, deputy commissioner, Gurgaon.

There are 38 villages in Gurgaon and 17 villages in Faridabad that have land notified under sections 4 and 5 of the PLPA, primarily in Aravali areas. Former forest conservator RP Balwan told TOI, “There are several residential colonies that are on this land and will face the consequences as buildings have to be demolished in line with the SC order. There are residential areas in Badkhal, Pali, Dhoj, Lakadpur, Mewla areas in Faridabad. While in Gurgaon, there are residential colonies in Sohna and Manesar built on such land. Implementing the SC order will be a difficult task.”

Environmentalists said they were hopeful after the SC order about the restoration of PLPA land. PLPA was enacted to protect the foothills and stop soil erosion in areas prone to environmental degradation.

“Some sporadic demolitions of farmhouses and banquet halls were done after the October 2018 NGT order, and a few were razed last year. Hopefully, the Aravalis will be lucky the third time,” said Lt Col Sarvadaman Singh Oberoi (retd), an activist.

Environmentalists launched an email petition to the PMO to register their protest against the draft NCR Regional Plan 2041. The term Aravalis has been dropped in the draft plan and natural conservation zones have been diluted to natural zones. “Our aim is to save the Aravalis from destruction,” said Neelam Ahluwalia of the Aravalli Bachao Citizens’ Movement.