GURUGRAM: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) requested compliance reports from the Haryana Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and the Sohna Municipal Council during a hearing on Monday. Both entities were made respondents in an ongoing case addressing unauthorized construction and reconstruction activities in the ecologically sensitive Aravali hills of Raisina.
Counsel representing Haryana and Rajasthan requested a four-week extension to submit their compliance reports concerning prior directions aimed at protecting the Aravalli hills. The bench approved this request, scheduling the next hearing for October 16.
The bench, consisting of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava and expert members Dr. A. Senthil Vel and Mr. Ishwar Singh, directed the registry to prepare an amended memo of parties and notify the newly included respondents.
This matter is part of a suo motu case initiated last year after a Times of India investigation revealed that farmhouses in Ansals Aravali Retreat were being reconstructed in violation of existing laws.
The case stemmed from a July 2024 report highlighting the illegal reconstruction of demolished farmhouses in Raisina, which violates ecological protections. The land in question is designated as gair-mumkin-pahar, an area recognized as uncultivable Aravali hills, falling under the protective guidelines of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, and the Aravali Notification, 1992.
The tribunal granted the Ansals Aravali Retreat Resident Welfare Association the right to participate in the proceedings, stating that its members are directly affected by these issues.
All respondents have been ordered to submit their replies within four weeks, with any rejoinders due two weeks later. Haryana’s counsel asserted that the state is acting in accordance with the law and previous court orders.
This case is being heard concurrently with an execution application related to a 2013 petition filed by environmentalist Sonya Ghosh, which previously resulted in orders to demolish illegal structures in the region.
Environmental advocate Vaishali Rana emphasized, “The Aravali range is a vital ecological buffer for the National Capital Region, preventing desertification and facilitating groundwater recharge.” She noted that unauthorized farmhouses in Raisina pose ongoing threats to this delicate environment, leading to recurrent judicial interventions over the past decade.
The Times of India has been closely following this issue, and last year, the NGT took suo motu notice of a report regarding illegal constructions at Ansals Aravali Retreat in Raisina.
