Gurgaon: The Supreme Court-appointed central empowered committee (CEC) has ordered a fresh, khasra-wise field survey of protected Aravali land in Faridabad’s Anangpur village after uncovering serious discrepancies between official maps and ground verification — a move that could have major implications for thousands of structures standing on land treated as forest under law.The directive, issued during a June 10 meeting and formally sent to the chief secretary on June 15, marks a critical intervention in the long-running battle over encroachments in the Aravalis.The issue traces back to SC’s July 21, 2022, order directing demolition of all structures built on forest land without prior govt approval. The apex court held that land covered under Section 4 (special order) of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900, must be treated as forest. Vast stretches of Gurgaon and Faridabad fall in this category, even if they do not carry a formal “forest” tag.This legal ambiguity has long complicated enforcement measures. Much of the Aravali land is privately owned, but under SC-backed interpretation, ownership does not dilute its forest status if govt records or ecological character establish it as such.At the June 10 meeting, the CEC examined representations concerning constructions in Anangpur. Officials informed the panel that nine maps had been prepared, marking 1,635 structures for verification. Nine field teams — comprising revenue, forest, municipal, electricity and police officials — were deployed between May 27 and June 9 to physically verify these sites.But the exercise quickly ran into trouble.According to the proceedings, one of the biggest problems was a 150-200ft overlap between Anangpur and neighbouring Sarai Khawaja in maps prepared by Haryana Space Applications Centre (HARSAC). Officials told the committee that many structures falling in this disputed belt actually belonged to Anangpur.The mismatch did not end there.In one instance, a HARSAC map showed 44 structures, but field teams found 88 on the ground. Officials also pointed out that many constructions were packed too tightly to be matched accurately with mapped polygons. Several structures hidden under tree cover, despite falling within PLPA-notified khasras, were missing altogether from the survey maps.Taking note, the CEC ordered authorities to clearly identify the entire Anangpur stretch adjoining Sarai Khawaja that falls under PLPA-notified khasras and to demarcate each khasra boundary afresh. All such verification in the future, it said, must be done plot-by-plot, not merely through existing maps.The exercise is significant because it will determine which structures face demolition, which may seek legal relief, and what forest land can be restored.The committee also reviewed four pending cases seeking ex-post facto forest clearance, including 37.7 hectares for the Surajkund tourism complex, and smaller parcels linked to schools and private projects in Mewala Maharajpur and Anangpur. Officials told the panel these proposals were awaiting stage-I clearance from the Union environment ministry.Subhash Yadav, conservator of forests in south Haryana, said authorities were exploring “a one-time solution” for old village habitations. “One option is to draw a clear ring around existing residential areas. Land outside that ring, including encroached forest land, can be restored. But this cannot become a permanent route for regularisation. It will be on the lines of a Lal Dora-type settlement for villages where habitations already exist,” he added.Forest experts, however, warned against any dilution.A former conservator of forests, MD Sinha, said SC’s Lakkarpur precedent left little room for selective relief. “More than 2,000 houses of economically weaker residents were demolished on PLPA land. There cannot be one law for the poor and another for affluent owners. Structures built after 1980 remain violations,” he added.Retired conservator RP Balwan echoed the concern. “Fresh surveys must strengthen existing records, not become a route to legitimise old violations,” he said.The next CEC meeting is scheduled at Surajkund on Monday.
