Aravalli hills’ ecology endangered

Bijendra Ahlawat

The ecology of Aravalli hills in Faridabad district is under serious threat due to unabated constructions going on in the region that is covered under the Forest Protection Act. Moreover, there is a blanket ban on construction activities in this belt.

Hundreds of hectares that ought to have provided a lush green look and fresh air to Faridabad city and neighbouring Delhi have actually fallen to the greed of the land mafia that has been active for the past several decades. Huge trenches with reduced density of green trees and unabated constructions have become the bane of the hills, which were once envied by other towns in the NCR. “Mining and construction have caused irreparable damage to the hills. It is an irony that Faridabad, which could have benefited hugely from the green cover, has actually emerged as one of the most polluted cities of the country,” says Jitender Bhadana of NGO Save Aravalli, which is working in the field of environment protection. 

Bhadana blames indiscriminate constructions and wrong policies of the state government during the past five decades for the grim situation. He claims that allowing mining and construction activities selectively before the Supreme Court imposed the ban has emboldened the land mafia. Hundreds of buildings, including farmhouses, banquet halls, multi-storey housing societies and habitations, have come up on the land that was to be protected for ecological balance and green cover. 

“More than 250 farmhouses have sprung up in the region, as there was none to check construction activities and people involved enjoyed the patronage of powerful politicians,” alleges Varun Sheokand, a social activist. Sheokand had filed a petition against the construction of a hotel-cum-banquet hall on the Surjakund road last year. He claims that a senior forest official was transferred recently after she opposed a construction. 

He says the builder mafia has penetrated deep inside the hills in the region between the Faridabad-Gurugram highway and the Surajkund road. “The entire area is covered under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) 1900 and no construction activity is allowed there,” says Sanjiv Maan, Senior Town Planner. The Supreme Court had recently ordered the demolition of Kant Enclave in Faridabad, as this residential colony had come up illegally on forestland, he adds. 

The total forestland in the district is 5,876 acres spread over eight villages. He admits that many constructions in the Surajkund area may have been carried out in violation of the PLPA. He says that the details of the total land identified under the PLPA notification in Faridabad district have been uploaded on the website of the Forest Department. 

Maan says though the exact amount of land where constructions are going on at present is still to be calculated, an exercise in this regard requires directions from the authorities concerned.

“Interestingly, the Municipal Corporation Faridabad has served notices on 140 farmhouses, which have come up fully or partially in the Surajkund area in the past few years and are liable to be demolished soon. The previous Municipal Commissioner was transferred out before any action could be taken against illegal farmhouses,” says a district official. 

Pinaki Ranjan, a local resident, says that the Badkhal lake spread over 45 acres has vanished mainly due to illegal mining and constructions. The historical dam located near Anangpur village in Surajkund is also on the verge of extinction due to continuous constructions, he adds.