Illegal farmhouses in Aravallis face axe
Tribune News Service
Faridabad, January 29
The district forest department has launched a drive for removal of 123 farmhouses that were in violation of the Forest Act (PLPA)-1900 in the Aravalli hills area of the district.
The department aims to remove all the encroachments in the form of farmhouses spread over 1,000 acres before February 19, the next date of hearing in the NGT, said Rajkumar, the DFO here. The drive started with action against three farmhouses located near Anangpur village on Thursday.
Adding that the encroachments, developed as banquets halls and marriage gardens in the area, had been persisting for long due to the involvement of the land mafia, Rajkumar said the matter had been pending before the NGT, which has sought a report from the department regarding the current status. The next date is fixed for February 19.
Revealing that the drive was expected to be over within the next 15 to 20 days, he said that the court stay acquired in some cases had been a major hindrance and a cause of delay in action against such encroachments. Though DC Yashpal Yadav had also issued an order for removal of the illegal farmhouses in the forest area about five months ago, factors like the Covid pandemic led to delay in the action, it is claimed.
According to the officials concerned, this is the third such drive in the past one-and-a-half years.
After the Supreme Court had issued a notice to the state government on August 23, 2019, the authorities had pulled down boundary walls and construction of three dozen farmhouses. The last drive that was taken up was on February 6, 2020, when action was taken against eight structures.
Earlier, the Forest Department in its report submitted to higher authorities had identified these constructions to be in violation of the PLPA. Municipal Corporation Faridabad had also submitted a report in 2018 about such encroachments in the area.
