GURUGRAM: On Thursday, approximately three acres of protected Aravali land in Behrampur village were liberated from illegal occupation.
In a significant anti-encroachment operation in recent years, the forest department demolished 11 unlawful structures including buildings under construction and boundary walls.
The demolitions occurred on land classified under sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), which is designated as part of the Aravali Plantation, where non-forest activities require statutory approvals.
Using earthmovers, officials dismantled newly constructed brick structures and walls on the protected land. By midday, site debris including broken bricks and twisted steel bars was strewn about. Many reinforced concrete columns, with exposed steel rods, remained standing, signaling that construction was still ongoing. Police were present throughout the operation.
Divisional Forest Officer (DFO) Surender Dangi informed TOI, “We have reclaimed nearly three acres of encroached land by demolishing 11 illegal structures, including under-construction buildings and boundaries. We will not permit encroachments or unauthorized non-forest activities, and similar actions will persist wherever violations are discovered.”
This demolition marks the latest effort in a prolonged battle to reclaim encroached Aravali land in Behrampur, one of Gurgaon’s most vulnerable hill areas. In 2023, TOI highlighted that around 35 acres of Aravali Plantation, adjacent to Golf Course Extension Road, had been cleared of trees, leveled, and enclosed with nearly ten-foot-high walls. Satellite images revealed a transformation from dense vegetation in 2017 to barren plots with limited greenery by 2023. Documented construction activity included the use of heavy machinery.
These findings led the forest department to conduct a survey. In 2024, officials confirmed over 35 acres were illegally occupied and announced plans for land restoration following the removal of unauthorized constructions. Notices were also issued for newly erected structures in the protected zone. Some structures were demolished in 2024. Thursday’s activity is among the first notable enforcement actions in Behrampur since that survey.
The Aravali Plantation project, initiated in the 1990s to rehabilitate degraded hills across six Haryana districts, was later governed by the Forest (Conservation) Act as per Supreme Court directives, whereby diverting land for non-forest purposes is illegal without prior clearance.
Ecologist Sunil Harsana, who has monitored encroachments in the region for years, noted that Behrampur is vital for wildlife connectivity between the Gurgaon Aravalis and the Asola Bhatti landscape. “These hills are not just barren land; they facilitate groundwater recharge, biodiversity, and wildlife movement. Every illegal boundary, road, or farmhouse disrupts the ecosystem and undermines the ecological integrity of the Aravalis. Reclaiming encroached land is a crucial start, but ecological restoration and long-term protection are essential,” Harsana told TOI.
Conservationists remarked that Thursday’s operation conveys a potent message but stressed that isolated demolitions are insufficient. They advocated for ongoing surveillance, the restoration of reclaimed land through planting, and legal action against repeat offenders to avert new encroachments in one of NCR’s ecologically significant regions.
