Gurgaon: Any fresh constructions or expansions will not form part of an exercise being conducted to identify residential areas within the notified Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) land in Faridabad’s Anangpur.As authorities conducted the ground-truthing exercise to identify residential areas in Anangpur, attempts by some residents to expand their holdings by extending boundary walls and bringing additional land within their possession prompted officials to ensure that such changes do not influence the outcome of the exercise.A ground-truthing exercise involves the physical verification and validation of information obtained from remote, modelled or documentary sources — such as satellite imagery, AI-generated outputs or official records — to ensure that the data accurately reflects on-the-ground conditions and real-world circumstances.Authorities have also sought to keep the exercise focused on documenting the nature and extent of existing development rather than questions of ownership or title. Survey teams have been asked to map structures and land-use patterns without getting drawn into competing ownership claims, officials said.The verification is being carried out under the directions of the Supreme Court-appointed central empowered committee (CEC). CEC is expected to review the findings and progress of the exercise at its upcoming meeting on June 22. Residents involved in the matter said the exercise would lose credibility if people were allowed to alter the physical status of their properties “while the verification was in progress”.“The purpose of the exercise is to identify existing residential areas and bring clarity to long-pending issues. However, there are instances where people are trying to extend boundary walls and increase the area under their possession while the survey is underway. If such changes are allowed to become part of the record, it will defeat the very purpose of the exercise. The survey should reflect the status of the land as it existed before the verification began,” Rahul Bhadana, a local resident, told TOI.A revenue official told TOI, “The objective of the exercise is to establish an accurate picture of the built-up area on the ground and distinguish long-standing residential occupation from subsequent changes made after the commencement of the survey.”Officials familiar with the exercise said instances have been reported where residents have extended boundary walls or undertaken fresh construction while the survey is underway, “apparently in an effort to enlarge the area recorded as being under residential use”.To prevent the exercise from being distorted, authorities have directed survey teams to consider only the status of structures and land use as they existed before the verification process began. Any fresh construction or expansion carried out during the survey period will be treated separately and will not form part of the ongoing assessment, officials said.The issue is significant because the exercise is expected to help determine the extent of existing residential areas within notified PLPA land and could inform future decisions on long-pending demands for regularisation of settlements.
