Demolition in Aravalli area after drone survey: Faridabad Municipal Corporation

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, June 9

The first phase of the demolition drive against encroachments in the Aravalli forest land of Khori-Lakkadpur village in the district did not begin today as the district administration decided to first conduct a drone survey of the area.

In a joint press statement this evening, Municipal Corporation Faridabad Commissioner Garima Mittal, DC Yashpal Yadav and Deputy Commissioner of Police (NIT zone) Anshu Singla said that in compliance with the apex court order, the demolition would be carried out soon, but it would be preceded by a drone survey to detect the exact violations.

It said a report would be prepared jointly by teams of the local administration and the demolition dates would be decided accordingly.

Sources in the Municipal Corporation, however, claimed that the drive scheduled for today could not take off due to the non-availability of the police force.

The 120 acres of Khori-Lakkadpur village falls under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA). Located close to the Delhi border, its ownership has been with the MCF and the Department of Tourism.

The colony named Khori Gaon Basti houses mostly migrants, who came here way back in the mid-1990s for working in the stone mines nearby. While mining has been banned here for the past two decades, most of the migrants settled here are now working as labourers.

Blaming the previous government for the illegal colony, BJP MLA (Badkhal) Seema Trikha said action should be taken against the mafia or the officials under whose patronisation the illegal colony came up.