Khori village stares at demolition, activists ask what of farmhouses

Gurugram: As authorities in Faridabad prepare to demolish the Khori village there in the interest of protecting the Aravallis from illegal encroachments, several activists and civil society members have questioned the continued existence of several farmhouses built illegally on parts of the protected land.

While in the most recent action against farmhouses, authorities had razed nine farmhouses being developed in the Gairatpur Aravallis, officials in Sohna had issued notices to as many as 45 farmhouses built illegally. It remains unclear as to how many of these farmhouses have been demolished.

It is important to note that the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had taken strict cognizance of massive encroachments that had occurred in these forests. Last year complying with the NGT orders, the Sohna Police had conducted demolitions of 17 farmhouses that had been built illegally on Sohna Aravallis.

Citing examples of Khori, several green activists have criticised the government that the influential and rich land mafia that construct farmhouses are not being punished and the poor in Khori are not being spared by the authorities. Not only farmhouses but over the years there have also been several illegal colonies that have been set up in the city.

Officials have gone ahead and demolished some of these colonies even at a time when cases of COVID-19 were at their peak.

"We have taken a strict stance on people who are destroying the green belt of Aravallis. We have conducted certain demolitions and we will continue to carry out these activities in coming months as well," said a senior official from DTCP.

The process of developing farmhouses in forest areas of Aravallis has been an ongoing process since 1992. Areas in Gurugram where over the years there has been rampant construction of farmhouses and illegal structures include Raisina, Gairatpur, Mangar and Bandhwari.

It is estimated that from 1990 till date there have been more than 1,500 farmhouses that have come up in Aravallis of Gurugram. In August last year, a petition was filed at the Supreme Court in which exploitation of Aravallis in Bandhwari was highlighted. 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 to it on the exploitation of Aravallis.

Subsequently, the DTCP and Municipal Corporation of Gurugram were forced to act. The Gurugram public

agencies complying with the orders of the Supreme Court demolished 19 farmhouses that had come up illegally in Bandhwari forests.