Demolition of illegal constructions in Aravalli hills: Supreme Court

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court ordered the Haryana government to demolish illegal construction made in Kant Enclave, Faridabad, in the Aravalli Hills after August 18, 1992, expressing the serious concern over the irreversible damage being caused to the eco-sensitive Aravalli green belt by influential builders in violation of environmental norms and its own orders and directed it to compensate those adversely affected in the process.

Kant Enclave was a forest area which needed to be treated as forest land where no construction activity could have been permitted said a Bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice Deepak Gupta. The law has been broken and manipulated in Haryana in favor of private persons.

R Kant & Co and Haryana Town & Country Planning Departments to pay Rs 50 lakh to each person whose construction was ordered to be demolished.

The Bench directed the builder to give full refund along with 18% annual interest to hundreds of persons who invested in land from date of investment.

Applying “The polluter pays principle”, the top court ordered R Kant & Co to deposit Rs 5 crore in the Aravalli Rehabilitation Fund within a month for restoration of the forest land. Those not satisfied with the compensation has the right to claim from  R kant & co.