5k-plus illegal buildings face demolition in Faridabad as govt expands Aravali reclamation drive
Gurgaon: The authorities are moving in a planned manner to reclaim forest land in Faridabad and Gurgaon. The large-scale demolition drive in Haryana's Aravali belt gathered pace on Thursday as authorities moved from Anangpur village in Faridabad towards Lakkarpur, with plans to clear illegal structures in Mewla Maharajpur and Ankhir next.
This area is protected under Section 4 (special orders) of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which bars construction and any non-forest activities in forests.
More than 5,000 demolition notices have been served across Faridabad as part of the state's intensified crackdown on illegal constructions in protected forest areas and Aravali land. The action is being carried out jointly by the forest department and the district administration, with six bulldozers currently in operation.
In Gurgaon, notices have been issued to property owners, giving them 15 days to remove encroachments before the bulldozers arrive. Officials said forced demolition will begin in Gurgaon after the deadline expires. The crackdown comes amid rising concerns over unchecked encroachments in the Aravalis, which are vital to the region's ecological stability and groundwater recharge.
Officials confirmed that the demolition in Faridabad will continue in a phased manner.
Divisional forest officer, (DFO) Gurgaon, Raj Kumar, who has additional charge of Faridabad, said, "After Anangpur, the team is now clearing encroachments in Lakkarpur and will move next to Mewla Maharajpur and Ankhir — all areas identified as critical due to illegal occupation of forest and ecologically sensitive land."
A senior district official said, "We appeal to people to remove illegal constructions. This is a coordinated effort to restore the Aravalis and remove illegal constructions from notified forest land.
We are ensuring that due process is followed through notices and phased execution." In the last two days, around 15 structures were razed.
In Gurgaon, where similar violations have been flagged, the administration has served notices to several property owners. They have been given a 15-day window to voluntarily demolish their illegal structures. Forest department officials said most of the illegally built structures are small farmhouses and boundary walls in Gairatpur Bas, Sakatpur, Gwal Pahari, Behrampur, Damduma, Roj Ka Gujjar, Sohna, Abheypur, Raisina and Manesar.
The state govt, under court directives and forest protection mandates, has planned to clear 90% of the illegal structures built on special orders of Section 4 of PLPA within 10 days in Faridabad. Further rounds of demolition are expected to follow in both districts as authorities widen the enforcement net across the Aravali foothills.
"We have started demolition for farmhouses and banquet halls. We will carry out the action till all structures are demolished which are wrongfully built on Aravali land," said DFO Kumar.
The SC, in July 2022, ruled that all Aravali land under PLPA (special orders) should be treated as forest, with provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act applicable there, and any illegal construction should be demolished.
Despite clear directives, Haryana over the years did not complete the task, having razed some 30 structures in four villages of Faridabad since the 2022 ruling.
A ground truthing exercise conducted by the state govt in Dec last year found 6,793 unauthorised structures built on protected land in the four villages.
The exercise found 5,948 illegal structures in Anangpur village alone, while 339 such structures were found in Ankhir, 313 in Lakkarpur and 193 in Mewla Maharajpur. Most structures are farmhouses and banquet halls.
The SC judgment — in the Narinder Singh vs Divesh Bhutani case — was based on appeals filed by property owners against a 2013 order of National Green Tribunal (NGT), which restrained any non-forest activities on PLPA-notified land in Anangpur village.
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