Farmhouses razed in Aravali villages

GURGAON: A team of officials from the department of town and country planning demolished three farmhouses in Bandhwari and Balola villages for encroaching upon the protected areas of the Aravalis.
Spread over about 20 acres of land, one farmhouse was situated in Balola and the other two in adjoining Bandhwari village. They were a part of an unauthorized colony known as Rose Villa Farms.One farmhouse was partly demolished and partly sealed. The demolition took place peacefully.
Officials said these newly constructed farmhouses violated the Punjab Scheduled Roads and Controlled Areas Restriction of Unregulated Development act (41), 1963 (to prevent haphazard and sub-standard development along scheduled roads and in controlled areas in Haryana).
DTP (Enforcement) Narender Solanki told TOI, "A villager informed us about these farmhouses. We inspected the site and found that the land was purchased by the owner of Rose Villa Farms and sold to people as farmhouses. We collected relevant documents from revenue office and carried out the demolition."
He further said that he has requested the deputy commissioner to involve forest department, mining department and pollution control board in the inspection of restricted areas in Aravali range. Nine illegal hoardings (30 ft X 15 ft) along the Gurgaon-Faridabad road were also demolished for violating the norm of putting up hoardings 15 m away from restricted area.