12
Forest Land Occupation: 241 constructions located at 88 places in 261.06 acres have been demolished. The committee found that despite the action, large -scale violations continue.
Forest Land Occupation: The Supreme Court -occupied Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has told the apex court that about 6,800 unauthorized constructions including farmhouses, schools and government buildings have been done on 780 acres of deemed forest land in Faridabad, violating the Forest (Protection) Act, 1980. In its interim report on August 29, the committee said that the concerned land is notified under the Punjab Land Protection Act (PLPA), 1900 and is spread in the villages of Ankir, Anangpur, Lakkadpur and Mewla Maharajpur. It states that under the 1980 law, the land has “all the qualities of forest land” and hence, from October 25, 1980, it cannot be used for non-forest purposes without prior approval of the Central Government. The CEC said that Farmhouse, Marriage Garden, Banquet Hall and other such constructions have been done illegally. In compliance with the directions of the apex court on July 21, 2022, 241 constructions located at 88 places in 261.06 acres have been demolished by the district officials. The committee registered that despite the action, mass violations continue.
Opposition to sabotage campaign
The report said that 780.26 acres have been constructed on land notified under Section 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Protection Act, 1900 in Faridabad, Haryana. This is a violation of the provisions of the Construction Forest (Protection and Promotion) Act, 1980. In Anangpur alone, 5,948 structures on 286 acres, 339 structures in about 250 acres in Ankir, 313 structures on about 197 acres in Lakkadpur and 193 acres spread over 46 acres in Mewla Maharajpur. The CEC said that due to the demolition of large commercial constructions, there has been a significant decrease in human activity in these areas. The forest department has said that the presence of the deer has been recorded for the first time in this scenario. The demolition campaign has created anger among the residents. The CEC said that there was a lot of resentment among the villagers, who expressed concern about the safety of their homes. According to official data, 5,938 domestic units, most of which are in Anangpur, falls under PLPA-unfinished land.
Hearing in Supreme Court on 8 September
The CEC found that the villagers are afraid of losing their homes and they are opposing the sabotage campaign. The CEC itself also pointed out the violations committed by government departments, saying that some constructions related to Haryana Urban Development Authority, Haryana Tourism, Police Department and Municipal Corporations like Municipal Corporation have been built on land notified under Section 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Protection Act, 1900, which is a violation of the provisions of the Forest (Protection and Protection) Act, 1980. It recommended that such cases could be considered for post -work approval by the Center under the guidelines issued on December 29, 2023, but warned that in future no government departments will make any new construction in forest areas as the officials concerned can be prosecuted. The CEC said that there are obstacles with interim stay from the courts and complications of dealing with the establishments of small villages. The case is to be heard in the Supreme Court on 8 September.
Also read: Om Prakash Rajbhar’s statement on ‘Gunda’ statement! Performing fiercely outside the house
