500 house owners face eviction in Delhi’s Aya Nagar

NEW DELHI: The forest department has issued notices to hundreds of residents in Delhi’s Aya Nagar, asking them to “vacate” the forest land they have “encroached” over the years. Residents claim that the notice was issued to around 500 house owners, who have been living in the area for more than 30 years.

The notice said the area concerned was declared “reserved forest” through a notification dated May 24, 1994, and the residents had encroached on the land in violation of Section 26 of the Indian Forest Act 1927. The notice dated August 3 said the encroachers should vacate the forest land within seven days, after which the structures will be demolished.