Illegal farmhouses in Aravallis: Info panel seeks ownership details

CHANDIGARH: The Haryana State Information Commission has asked the revenue department to constitute committees of officers of Faridabad and Gurugram districts to ascertain the correct ownership of 60 farmhouses in the Aravallis.

In his July 9 order, state information commissioner (SIC) Arun Sangwan had asked the department to submit a report within a reasonable time frame, preferably, within two months.

The recommendation was made by the SIC on a Right to Information appeal filed by Haryana IAS officer Ashok Khemka. The officer had filed an appeal before the commission seeking information on illegal constructions in the forest area.

The SIC order assumes significance in light of the recent Supreme Court directions on removal of all unauthorised structures on the forest land.

The apex court which had ordered demolition of unauthorised structures in Khori village of Faridabad had also held that the direction to remove all unauthorised structures standing on the forest land applied to “all unauthorised structures without any exception”, including the ones already identified by Haryana forests minister Kanwar Pal, as unauthorised structures which cannot be regularised.

“The verification will be done within the extended time specified above and if the structure is covered in the category of unauthorised structure on the forest land, the same will be removed within the same time,” the SC order said.

Khemka’s appeal was based on the reply of state forests minister Kanwar Pal, who had told the Haryana assembly on February 27, 2020 that 50 farmhouses have been built in the Faridabad area and 10 in the Gurugram area. Pal had also told the assembly that illegal construction in the Aravalli area will not be allowed.

The minister, who was responding to a query by BJP MLA Seema Trikha in the assembly, however, replied in negative to the query on whether there is any proposal under consideration of the government to regularise or approve the said farmhouses.

“In summary, the minister’s reply clarifies the existence of 60 farmhouses in Faridabad and Gurugram, which were built without any requisite permission. This points to encroachment by owners of these farmhouses. The department’s response that there is no record of such individuals is not satisfactory as it is the duty of the district town planner (enforcement) to monitor any attempts at illegal construction in its designated area,” the SIC had said in his January order.