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| Goh Rhy Yan on Unsplash |
Two consecutive drone surveys carried out by forest authorities have uncovered that over 250 acres of forest area in and around Gurgaon have been encroached upon illegally. These land parcels fall under the Punjab Land Conservation Act (PLPA) and the Aravali plantation area.
Backstory
Towards the
end of July, the Supreme Court had ordered the Haryana government to pause the
soft approach and bulldoze every illegal structure in the Aravalis, irrespective
of ownership or the nature of construction.
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This prompted
our brave forest officials to conduct multiple drone surveys and identify over 1,000 illegal structures in Gurgaon’s Aravali area alone. These illegalities include
farmhouses, nurseries, slums and clusters.
So far, 580 show-cause notices have been promptly served to owners of such illegal structures in the Aravali area - a highly eco sensitive forest system that has been battered by illegal encroachment, deforestation and dumping of waste. More notices are being printed as you read this, we are assured.