Seven more structures in Kant Enclave are set to be demolished within the next two weeks after the Supreme Court, on Monday, rejected pleas of the occupants seeking an extension to the deadline for eviction.

The apex court also instructed the property owners to vacate their premises at the earliest.

These seven structures will be razed in the next few days, officials of the Faridabad’s town and country planning department (DTCP) confirmed. Sanjeev Mann, senior town planner, DTCP Faridabad, said, “The buildings will be razed in the coming days once the court’s instructions have been conveyed to us via an official order.”

The Supreme Court had earlier set March 31 as the deadline for affected residents to vacate their premises and later extended the deadline till July, provided they submit an undertaking before the court. Seven occupants, who did not file their affidavits in time, have been denied relief by the Supreme Court.

Starting April 1, the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad, DTP’s enforcement wing and the subdivisional magistrate of Badkal started carrying out demolition drives, in keeping with the Supreme Court’s instructions.

In a landmark judgement last year, the court had ruled that all construction in Kant Enclave was illegal, as all land notified under the Punjab Land Preservation Act “is a forest or is forest land or is required to be treated as a forest or forest land”. The court also came down heavily on the Haryana government for colluding with private builders to allow construction within the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range.

Mann confirmed that, on Monday, a report of demolition work had been submitted to the court, stating that a total of 14 structures have been razed in Kant Enclave, so far. The court also expressed displeasure at the developer, R Kant & Co., for not yet submitting the compensation of ₹8.25 crore and said that the builder should submit the amount before April 22, the next hearing.

First Published: Apr 10, 2019 02:57 IST