Aravali Hills: Construction Demolished in Protected Zone

In Gurgaon, the forest department took decisive action on Monday, demolishing a concrete wall and two farmhouses situated within the protected Aravali landscape of Raisina hill. The affected area covers approximately 26 acres, where recent inspections revealed significant concretisation and the unauthorized deployment of earthmovers.

This demolition addresses ongoing violations of the Aravali Notification of 1992, a regulation that strictly limits construction, boundary walls, and building activities, while also prohibiting tree felling without prior approval. The land, designated as gair mumkin pahad (uncultivable hill), requires statutory clearances for any non-forest related activities.

These demolitions follow previous reports highlighting extensive illegal construction, including a 30-meter wide road carved into the hills and over 100 trees felled. Past inspections also noted cleared land, stripped vegetation, and evidence of fresh boundary walls and even structures built around standing trees.

The National Green Tribunal has previously intervened, taking suo motu cognisance of illegal constructions in the Raisina area and terming the rebuilding of demolished structures a "flagrant violation." In December 2022, the tribunal had mandated the Haryana and Rajasthan governments to establish a monitoring committee to oversee the removal of encroachments from Aravali land.