gurugram: The Gurugram district administration is now forced to act on those who have exploited Aravallis and illegally taken over swathes of forest area.
The action comes after the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the Supreme Court intervened and demanded an explanation from the Haryana government as to why encroachments, land grabbing and exploitation of Aravallis are on the rise.
It is estimated that from 1990 till date there have been more than 200 farmhouses alone that have come up in Aravallis of Gurugram. In order to know the correct number, the South Haryana Forest Department along with the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to conduct a survey to ascertain how many farmhouses have been built in the forest area.
The departments of Gurugram district administration in form of Department and Town and Country Planning (DTCP) and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram have even begun to demolish around 19 farmhouses that have been illegally built in Bandhwari forests.
Several social activists for long had been raising their voices against strong builder lobby that has continuously exploited the forest areas at Aravallis. The farmhouses were built on the Natural Conservation Zone (NCZ) and the hillocks of Aravallis were cut to make way for roads within the forest area.
Having already played a proactive role in the past towards preservation of the Aravallis, the Supreme Court took note of this issue and immediately directed the Haryana government to present a report on the exploitation of Aravallis in the month of September.
It is important to note that the 30 acre Bandhwari landfill site also falls in the greenbelt of Aravallis.
"No action on the illegal farmhouses of Bandhwari would have led to the contempt of the court. The big question however remains how this massive construction would have occurred in the first place. Who is responsible? Who seems to have benefitted from all this and who looked the other way?" said Ashish Dua, Senior Congress Leader from
Gurugram.
Besides Bandhwari farmhouses have also been built illegally in the forest areas of Raisina and Gairatpur
Also, encroachments and illegal mining are also being reported on a large-scale from the forest areas that is further degrading the Aravallis.