GURGAON: Banquet halls, shops and eateries that were partly demolished last year have been restored nearly to their original form and new boundary walls are being constructed to colonise more patches of protected forest land in the Aravalis of Faridabad.Perimeter fences are being built on several plots located on both sides of the Surajkund-Badkhal road that cuts through Ankhir, Anangpur and Mewala Maharajpur.These plots are now barren - the trees have been cleared.TimesViewThe fresh structures built illegally in violation of the apex courts order must be demolished. Action must also be taken against those officials who have connived with the rule-breakers or overlooked the development and let this happenNon-forest activities are barred in these villages, which are protected under Section 4 (special orders) of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1990. But over the past 16 months, since the Supreme Court underlined the protected status of this land, construction hasnt stopped. The Supreme Court, in July 2022, had ruled that all land under PLPA (special orders) should be treated as forest, with provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act applicable, and any illegal construction should be demolished.After the courts order, a survey last December had found that 6,793 illegal structures - mostly banquet halls and residential settlements - had been built on protected PLPA land in four villages of Faridabad. A majority of these were in Anangpur (5,948) and the remaining in Ankhir, Lakkarpur and Mewla Maharajpur.But those running commercial establishments said they werent in the wrong. "These units are not illegal. These are on common village land. We are not encroaching on any forest areas," said Kamlesh Bhadana, who was at a banquet hall at Ankhir.When asked about compliance with the courts ruling, a forest department official said demolitions were delayed as it was a "complicated" issue. "The government is supposed to hear individual cases that fall under PLPA Section 4 (special orders) before razing any property. The hearings are complete now. We will soon carry out demolitions and submit a compliance report to the apex court," said Raj Kumar, divisional forest officer, Faridabad.The Supreme Court had underlined this. "Before the removal of the illegal structures and stopping non-forest activities is taken in respect of lands covered by the special orders of August 18, 1992 issued under Section 4 of PLPA, the competent authority shall afford an opportunity of being heard to the affected persons and conclude such proceedings finally not later than three months from today and submit compliance report in that regard within the same time," the order stated.Activists alleged the government was not acting on SCs directions. "Its been over a year since the SC order and the demolitions havent been carried out. The state has also tried to regularise these banquet halls and other commercial establishments in the Aravalis. There is a deliberate attempt to allow more encroachments in protected forest areas," said Lt Col retd SS Oberoi, a Gurgaon-based environmentalist.In 2019, Haryana had passed a bill in the assembly to lift PLPA protection from the Aravali foothills, but it was not notified. TOI has previously reported about trees being chopped in the Aravalis of Raisina hills in Gurgaon to make way for construction of farmhouses.

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