Five unauthorised structures, including the boundary of Radha Soami Satsang Baes Ashram, on a land notified under the Punjab Land Preservation Act in Ankheer village here were demolished in a joint action by the Forest Department and the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad on Thursday.
Ombir Singh, Executive Engineer, MCF Enforcement Wing, said teams of the two departments along with 50 police personnel demolished five structures during the day-long drive. Mr. Singh said the demolition squad verified the documents of the landowners and only those structures were demolished which did not have stay orders from the court. Following an altercation, Joint Commissioner, NIT, Prashant Atkan, slapped a man for protesting against the demolition drive, said Mr. Singh.
The MCF had provided labour, equipment and enforcement team for the drive.
Several farmhouses, ashrams, gaushalas and banquet halls have illegally come up on the land notified under the PLPA in Ankheer and Mewla Maharajpur village of Faridabad over the years. These are owned by bureaucrats, judicial officers and politicians, including a former minister.
The Haryana government had last year passed a Bill seeking amendments in the PLPA leading to strong protests by the residents of Gurugram and Faridabad alleging that it would throw open the Aravalis to the real estate.