Want our forest land to be cleared: SC

NEW DELHI: We want our forest land to be cleared, the Supreme Court said on Thursday while refusing to stay its direction asking Haryana and the Faridabad municipal corporation to remove encroachments, consisting around 10,000 residential constructions, in Aravali forest area near Khori village.

A bench of Justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari asked the state and the civic body to comply with its June 7 direction in this regard.

The apex court, while hearing a separate plea on the issue on June 7, had directed the state and the Faridabad municipal corporation to remove “all encroachments” in the Aravali forest area, saying “land grabbers cannot take refuge of rule of law” and talk of “fairness”.

It had also sought compliance report from the state government officials after removing all encroachments from forest land near Khori village in Faridabad district within six weeks.

During the hearing conducted through video-conferencing on Thursday, advocate Aparna Bhat, appearing for the petitioners who have sought stay on demolition of these structures, said there are around 10,000 families in the village. “Please don’t give us numbers. It makes no difference. We want out forest land to be cleared,” the bench said, adding that, “We have given enough time. The notification was issued but you continued there at your own risk”.

“This is forest land. This is not ordinary land,” the bench observed.

Bhat argued about rehabilitation and said that state authority has not taken up the issue of eligibility and identification process has not been done.

The bench referred to its April 5 order, passed in a matter related to the issue, and said the civic body will take steps in accordance with law.

“You have to evict them in accordance with law. You have to give benefit of scheme (of rehabilitation) to those who are eligible,” the bench told the counsel appearing for the municipal corporation.

Bhat argued that authority has come there to forcibly evict those who are living there and before the demolition, they should do the exercise of verification.

The bench, while asking whether the petitioners have given additional documents to the corporation for verification, observed that enough time was already given earlier.

“Look at these people and their situation. They are migrant labourers.

There are children,” Bhat said and also referred to the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

“That is for the state to do. We are only concerned with vacation of forest area. We have given enough time earlier,” the bench observed.

The apex court also observed that people there can produce their documents for identification and rehabilitation to the corporation.