Developers warned against carving out illegal farmhouses in forest area near Chandigarh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 11

Alarmed at land developers illegally carving out farmhouses in the forest area in the periphery of Chandigarh, the Punjab Forest Department on Wednesday issued a public notice warning violators with prosecution.

In the notice, it has been pointed out that land developers were illegally trying to level hillocks and deceitfully selling land, which is prohibited under Sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900, to gullible buyers under the garb of farmhouses.

Forest officials said such land falls in Tarapur, Burana, Gocher, Majra, Sultanpur, Pallanpur, Dulwan, Siswan, Choti-Badi Nagal, Parol, Majarian, Seonk, Parch, Nada, Karoran, Mirzapur, Saini Majra, Mullanpur, Bhronjian, Thaksa, Hoshairpur, Bhulheri and Malakpur villages.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Parveen Kumar said the violators would be prosecuted under the relevant Acts and rules and for the criminal contempt of the the SC orders regarding the land use under the PLPA.

The action followed a day after the Forest Department lodged an FIR against Chandigarh-based private realtor and MD of WWICS Lt Col BS Sandhu (retd) for carving out farmhouse sites in the forest area near Nayagaon in the periphery of Chandigarh. Lt Col Sandhu has denied having anything to do with the land.

In the FIR, the department has pointed out that the promoter has engaged workforce to level hillocks in near 30 hectares and uprooted around 500 trees with the help of tractors and JCB machine to carve out plots in the area. An aerial survey was conducted with drones to access the extend of the damage as the forest staff was not allowed to enter the premises of the project ‘fairhavens’ by the private realtor.