Order unheeded, Faridabad DM to go ahead with demolition

GURUGRAM: The district magistrate (DM) of Faridabad, for a second time, has ordered the demolition of illegal structures in Ankheer village in the Aravalis after the first order went unheeded by the authorities. The move came after a group of activists went around the Aravalis to get a first-hand experience of the damage done to the ecologically fragile forest by illegal structures. They found at least 15 areas occupied by unauthorised structures. The areas where most encroachments were found were Ankheer, Badkal and Mangar.
The DM had appointed joint commissioner Prashant Atkaan as the duty magistrate for maintaining law and order during the demolition drive. The structures included farmhouses and cricket academies. The DM’ order states, “Yash Pal IAS, district magistrate, Faridabad, do hereby appoint Prashant Atkaan HCS, joint commissioner, M.C. NIT Zone, Faridabad as the duty magistrate upon the request of the range forest officer, Faridabad for maintaining law and order during the removal of unauthorised structures from the Aravali forest land (notified under PLPA) in Ankhir-Surajkund Road, Faridabad on February 6. The duty magistrate will ensure that there is no stay from any competent court.”
According to sources, the then Faridabad municipal commissioner had prepared a list of 144 encroachments in the forest area, and the forest department had sent a list of encroachments built on 500 acres by around 92 people. These lists were sent to the district administration for action. Meanwhile, an NGT order on September 2018 had sought to restore the forest areas in Gurugram and Faridabad by removing encroachments within a month. However, activists claimed no action was initiated by the authorities. “We visited the forest areas on January 12. The illegal structures were supposed to be demolished on January 16, but no action was taken. Now, we hope that something tangible will be done. The department should impose penalty on the violators. The failure to implement the orders is causing irreversible damage,” Col (retired) SS Oberoi, an environmentalist and a legal expert.
No non-forest activity is permitted in the Aravali forest as it has been notified under sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Protection Act (PLPA), 1900. Also, structures built in the one-km radius of Asola Bhatti wildlife sanctuary (of Delhi) will disturb the flora and fauna of the sanctuary.