Supreme Court Seeks Civic Body's Report On Haryana Village Rehabilitation

The Municipal Corporation of Faridabad must appoint a nodal officer to address complaints of residents and submit a status report on the steps taken for rehabilitation, the Supreme Court said today in the Khori village eviction case.

The court said a nodal officer must be present at the temporary shelter to address complaints of people whose houses have been demolished on grounds of encroachment of forest land. Those eligible must be rehabilitated, it said.

The Faridabad civic body has said illegal structures, including farmhouses, shall be demolished by August 23.

The Supreme Court had earlier ordered demolition of illegal structures in the village that falls under the Aravali forest area. The petitioners then moved the court, seeking a stay order.

The court on June 7 termed as "misconceived" the petitioner's plea that they were not allowed to produce documents in support of their eligibility for rehabilitation.

"The concerned occupants of the unauthorized structures standing on the forest land were given sufficient opportunity to do so after notification was issued by the corporation in 2020, after the order dated February 19, 2020 was passed by this court," the court said.

When the petitioners' counsel said there are around 10,000 families in the village, the court had replied, "Please don't give us numbers. It makes no difference. We want our forest land to be cleared."

On June 30, Khori village witnessed clashes between the police and local residents protesting against the eviction drive. Many residents then said they are ready to face consequences but won't vacate their homes. Some of them had said they had bought homes there from dealers and questioned why the authorities did not object when the constructions began.