12 illegal farmhouses demolished in Gurugram's Aravali Range

Gurugram, April 19 (IANS) A team from the Municipal Council of Sohna has demolished the boundary walls and gates of 12 farmhouses illegally built in the Aravali Range of Gurugram.

Officials said notices were issued to 18 farmhouse owners.

A campaign was launched against illegal construction on 100 acres of the hill, the officials said on Saturday.

SDO Rajpal Khatana of the Municipal Council was appointed as the duty magistrate for the drive. A police force from the Bhondsi Police Station was deployed to avoid untoward incidents during the drive. During the drive, the boundary wall made of 5 to 7-foot-high stones was demolished. Apart from this, the gates of 10 to 15 feet high of the farmhouses were also demolished.

Junior Engineer of Municipal Council, Digambar Singh, said that notices were issued to about 18 farmhouses. Some farmhouses knocked on the door of the court as soon as they received the notice. "Action will be taken after their petition is rejected by the court. Duty Magistrate and SDO of the Council, Rajpal Khatana, said that the campaign against illegal construction was carried out in a peaceful manner. Due to the presence of police, there was no protest."

It may be noted that the Deputy Commissioner of Gurugram has also instructed the concerned officials to take stringent action against those involved in illegal activities. Forest officers said that the Gurugram forest department has identified illegal farmhouses in the Aravali Range, and soon the notices will be served to them.

According to the officials, there is a ban on the construction of permanent structures and fencing in the Aravalli Forest area. Despite this, many farmhouses have been built illegally in the forest area. The Forest Department has issued a notice to concerned people for demolition.

Apart from this, sources said preparations are being made to hand over the entire demolition action in Aravali to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG).

It is believed that most of the Aravalli land is an official property of the corporation. So, keeping in mind, the Forest Department is planning that the responsibility of all the demolition action in the entire Aravalli should be handed over to the Municipal Corporation itself.

--IANS

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