GURUGRAM: New constructions or expansions are excluded from an ongoing exercise designed to identify residential areas within the notified Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) zone in Anangpur, Faridabad.
Officials engaged in ground-truthing to determine residential areas noted attempts by some residents to extend their property boundaries. As a result, they emphasized that such modifications should not skew the findings of the exercise.
A ground-truthing exercise verifies and validates information derived from remote sources like satellite imagery or official documentation to ensure that the data accurately reflects the current state of the land.
Officials have directed that the focus remain on documenting existing developments, not ownership disputes. Survey teams will map structures and land use patterns without getting involved in conflicts over ownership claims.
The verification process is being conducted under the Supreme Court-appointed central empowered committee (CEC), which plans to review the exercise’s outcomes in a meeting scheduled for June 22. Local residents voiced concerns that allowing alterations during verification would undermine its credibility.
“This exercise aims to clarify long-standing residential issues, but some individuals are trying to modify their properties while the survey is active. If these changes are included in the record, it defeats the purpose,” said local resident Rahul Bhadana, speaking to TOI.
A revenue official remarked, “The goal is to create an accurate depiction of built-up areas and differentiate longstanding residential uses from new alterations made after the survey began.”
Officials noted instances of residents extending boundary walls or undertaking new constructions during the survey to expand what is recorded as residential use.
To maintain the integrity of the exercise, authorities have instructed survey teams to only consider the state of structures and land use as they were before the verification began. Any new construction or expansion during the survey will be treated independently and excluded from the current assessment.
This matter holds significant implications, as the exercise is expected to clarify the extent of existing residential areas within the PLPA and potentially influence future decisions regarding the regularization of settlements.
