The Delhi Forest Department has sent letters to hundreds of residents in Aya Nagar, southwest of Delhi, asking them to “vacate” the forest area they had gradually “encroached” on. Locals claim that 500 homeowners who have resided in the neighbourhood for more than 30 years received the letter.
The notice said that the area in question had been declared as “reserved forest” by a notification dated May 24, 1994, and that the occupants had encroached on the land in violation of Section 26 of the Indian Forest Act of 1927.
The notification, dated August 3, said that the encroachers would be given seven days to vacate the forest property after which the buildings would be burned and any items found would be seized.
As the deadline passed on Thursday, the forest agency stated that the demolition campaign had not yet started. Nothing more was disclosed.
The National Green Tribunal instructed the city government to take the necessary actions to safeguard the ridge area in January of last year, and the caution has been issued in accordance with its directives.
Locals claim that the area was declared a “reserved forest” without conducting any actual fieldwork in 1994. “People have lived here since the 1980s. The authorities previously released such a notice. They now assert that we have seven days to vacate the property “Local person stated.
image credit : getty images
💫FOLLOW US FOR MORE UPDATES. ❌WE DO NOT HAVE IRRITATING AND SPAMMY NEWSLETTERS. ✅EVERYTHING IS AND WILL BE FREE FOREVER. SEE YOU AGAIN IN YOUR STORIES AND FEED 🙂
