Faridabad: Families in Delhi-NCR fork out lakhs to book the three-acre Amrit Green Valley, a venue in the Aravalli foothills listed on every major platform from WedMeGood to Wedding Wire. Except it no longer exists.
Amrit Green is one of 241 properties in the ecologically sensitive Aravalli range that have been demolished since June by the Haryana government, following a Supreme Court order. The encroachments are not huts or villages, but sprawling poolside resorts, ‘palaces’, and party venues owned by wealthy residents.
It’s pitted property owners, villagers, politicians, the Haryana government, the courts, and ecologists against one another. At the heart of the matter is a contentious question: who owns the land? Politicians such as Union Minister of State Krishan Pal Gurjar, Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda, and ex-deputy CM Dushyant Chautala, as well as farm leaders like Rakesh Tikait, have backed protesting villagers, who are vowing to take the matter back to court.
In the backdrop of rhetoric and protests, the first phase of one of the biggest anti-encroachment drives in the history of the Aravallis started in June, following a 2022 Supreme Court order. It happened to coincide with the launch of Narendra Modi’s ‘Aravalli Green Wall’ campaign to reforest one of the world’s oldest mountain ranges. With that, some of the long-standing edifices of Delhi-NCR’s famous farmhouse culture are being dismantled. And there is more to come.
Out of the 786 acres, 265 acres have been demolished, mostly of farmhouses and banquet halls. Government structures and the cases in which the court granted stays were not demolished
-Vipin Singh, district forest officer, Faridabad
These farmhouses were born out of a nexus of Gujjar village landlords, local politicians, and real estate players. But Haryana is changing. Aravalli awareness is growing too. Today, elite residents in upscale condos are mobilising to save the range and demanding the restoration of green spaces.
To date, the Faridabad administration has torn down encroachments across a 261-acre stretch spanning four villages: Ankhir, Mewla Maharajpur, Lakkarpur, and Anangpur. Among those affected is Ajay Pal, the owner of Amrit Green.
“I have spent crores building this property over the years and lost it in just a few minutes. The administration doesn’t even look at my documents,” said Pal. Now in his 60s, he belongs to the affluent Gujjar community and was born and raised in Anangpur, a village that traces its roots to Anang Pal Tomar, the first ruler of Delhi.
Over the last 10 years, especially after the crackdown on illegal mining, this area saw a boom in the ‘farmhouse economy’ due to its proximity to Delhi. More than a hundred properties sprang up to meet the demand. Now, the unpaved kachcha road leading to an 11th-century ASI-protected dam resembles a disaster zone. The bulldozers have left, leaving behind mounds of debris—former farmhouses, resorts, and marriage halls.
The recent demolitions are just the tip of the iceberg. It’s the most decisive action so far in a more than decade-long battle between property owners and the National Green Tribunal. In 2022, the Supreme Court directed the Haryana government to remove unauthorised structures built on land protected by special orders issued under Section 4 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA). In a state survey, officials identified more than 6,000 such structures, and not just farmhouses. Temples and educational institutions are also on the list.
“Every time, the administration would go back after doing some minor demolitions. But this time is different. It has been done on a large scale,” said Chetan Agarwal, an independent environmental services analyst who has worked extensively on the Aravallis. “The Supreme Court is constantly asking for reports on this, so there is pressure on the administration.”
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The farmhouse economy
Until a few days before the bulldozers arrived, the resorts and farmhouses in Anangpur were brightly lit, playing host to birthday and anniversary parties. During the winter wedding season, music from such events would reverberate throughout the rocky Aravalli hills. In December, Mahipal Green Valley hosted the wedding of advocate Amreen, with around 1,000 guests attending. The sound system blared Kala Chashma and Ishq Hai, and the party carried on past 1 am.
“From decor to food to staff, everything was arranged. Also, it was spacious, giving the party a sense of lavishness,” said Faridabad resident Vinay, who had booked Mahipal Green Valley for his wedding celebrations in December.
With manicured lawns, swimming pools, and halls heaving with chandeliers, the farmhouses were designed for entertainment and indulgence. Some even doubled as picnic spots, attracting visitors from Delhi and other parts of the NCR. The more popular venues even had a presence on social media, showcasing ornate mandaps to Lebanese buffets.
“From golden accents to floral finesse—every inch of grand is curated for your picture-perfect day,” reads one of the Instagram posts of Mahipal Green Valley. It was one of the farms demolished along with Pal’s Amrit Valley Green, which he said was offering a useful service.
“We offer marriage places at affordable rates as Delhi is costly. The rush to our farmhouses had increased in the last few years,” said Pal.
The administration is targeting poor and opposition leaders. The government is saving their favourites. We were not informed by the administration before the demolition
-Vivek Pratap, son of Congress leader and Raj Villa owner Mahendra Pratap Singh
Now, event planners are deleting these venues from their lists, and residents are bracing for a lean festive season after the monsoon ends. It’s not just property owners who’ve been affected by the government’s effective dismantling of the farmhouse economy. Small catering businesses, florists, DJs, decorators are all hit by the aftershocks.
The rise of these luxury properties would not have been possible without the blessings of politicians, alleged independent environmentalist Sunil Harsana, who has led a grassroots campaign to protect the Mangar Bani forest in the Aravallis for over a decade.
“Ministers and MLAs are continuously encroaching on the land and violating environmental laws,” he claimed.
From deforestation and illegal mining to unauthorised constructions, the Aravalli range—which runs through Gujarat, Rajasthan, Delhi, and Haryana—has faced one environmental threat after another. Through the 1990s and 2000s, illegal and unchecked mining ravaged the fragile region. In 2002, the Supreme Court banned mining in the Aravallis. But by 2010, farmhouses and marriage halls had become the new face of encroachment.
“The Aravallis in the Faridabad region have been extensively encroached over the years, and commercial activities have continued. We took action to curb these activities and reclaim the forest land,” said an official from the Municipal Corporation of Faridabad.
This long-overdue action, however, was taken only after the Supreme Court stepped in.
Years of legal wrangling
At the centre of the demolition drive is land protected under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), a colonial-era law that restricts construction and commercial activity on notified forest land to prevent ecological degradation.
In 1992, the Haryana government notified large swathes of land in Anangpur and surrounding villages as protected under Section 4 of the PLPA. A decade later, in 2013, property owners from three villages in Faridabad district, including Anangpur, challenged a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order that restrained non-forest activities on such PLPA-notified land. This case, Narinder Singh vs Divesh Bhutani, reached the Supreme Court, which in 2022 ordered that all structures on forest land be demolished.
Meanwhile, in December 2020, the NGT had already ordered the demolition of illegal farmhouses on forest land in the Aravallis. In a follow-up order in 2022, it instructed the Haryana and Rajasthan governments to set up monitoring committees for quarterly reviews of encroachment clearance in gair mumkin pahar (non-agricultural hill land) in Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh, and Alwar.
“Numerous times, the SC and NGT gave orders to save the Aravallis from encroachment, but the administration did not take action seriously. In the recent demolitions, the government took action after a delay of nearly two and a half years,” said Chetan Agarwal.
Following the Supreme Court’s 2022 order, the Haryana government took about two years to start mapping encroachments using drone and satellite imagery. That task was undertaken and completed last year.
Based on the data gathered, the administration identified and classified 6,793 unauthorised structures across 786 acres in five categories—farmhouses and banquet halls, religious structures like temples and ashrams, government establishments, educational institutions, and small dwelling units.
“Out of the 786 acres, 265 acres have been demolished, mostly of farmhouses and banquet halls. Government structures and the cases in which the court granted stays were not demolished,” said Vipin Singh, district forest officer, Faridabad. He’s bracing himself for a long battle given that only the first phase of the planned demolitions has been completed.
The fight to save the Aravallis is playing out not just in the Supreme Court, but also in the NGT, which has taken up a series of cases over the years, including illegal mining, large-scale dumping, waste-burning, and constructions on forest land.
On 28 July this year, the NGT sought a response from the Centre, the Haryana government, and the State Pollution Control Board over alleged illegal construction by a temple trust in Gurgaon’s Sector 54. This construction was located in the Haiderpur Viran forest zone of the Aravallis.
Every encroachment in the forest MUST GO! Illegal #construction must stop. One CANNOT build in the name of an imaginary "God" by killing the living God; Nature. @NayabSainiBJP @moefcc @DEFCCOfficial #aravallis #forest #wildlife #encroachment #WildlifeConservation https://t.co/mbV0uan3n7
— Aravalli Bachao (@AravalliBachao) July 29, 2025
But conservationists and environmentalists are not celebrating the encroachment drive yet—they’re waiting to see if the administration will see it through.
“If the encroachments are removed, then this will open the way for the entire Aravalli range,” said Harsana.
Lawmakers breaking the law?
The bulldozers have come for politicians too. A number of properties in the Aravallis are owned by political leaders, including those from the BJP and Congress, confirmed a Faridabad Municipal Corporation official. Even former state ministers for environment and revenue are among those who had built farmhouses in this area.
This time around, their properties on PLPA land were not spared. On 11 July, JCBs and bulldozers spent nearly six hours razing the farmhouse of former minister and BJP leader Kartar Singh Badhana.
“The action was taken on the directions of the Supreme Court. I’m cooperating with the administration,” said 70-yr-old Badhana.
The previous month, in June, another BJP leader, Samalkha MLA Manmohan Badhan, also saw his farmhouse demolished. A property belonging to Vipul Goel, former Haryana environment minister (2016–2019), was also razed in Ankhir village near Anangpur.
Back in February 2019, when Goel was state environment minister, the Manohar Lal Khattar-led government tried to amend the PLPA in an effort to allow construction on protected Aravalli land. The Supreme Court, however, swiftly stayed the amendment in March that year.
We have been living here for the last 1,000 years. No one stopped us in the past. Now our houses and farmhouses are being demolished, and our survival is under threat
-Prem Krishna Arya, a resident of Anangpur
“It is really shocking. Do you think you are supreme? You are destroying the forest. It is not permissible,” said the court.
Also on the demolition list was Raj Villa, a two-acre marriage hall owned by senior Congress leader and five-time MLA Mahendra Pratap Singh. The venue, located not far from Goel’s property, was advertised on WeddingWire, described as a “splendid” farmhouse where “enchanting” weddings could be set up. The venue could host up to 2,000 guests, with bookings costing Rs 5.5 lakh.
On the afternoon of 17 June, a joint team from the Faridabad Municipal Corporation and the forest department brought in six bulldozers and demolished Raj Villa within three hours.
“The administration is targeting poor and opposition leaders. The government is saving their favourites. We were not informed by the administration before the demolition,” alleged Vivek Pratap, son of the Congress leader.
As the forest-land farmhouses bit the dust, Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched the Aravalli Green Wall Project to reforest the 700-km range.
“Our focus is to rejuvenate areas linked with this range,” he said.
Faridabad district forest officer Vipin Singh, meanwhile, insisted that the department is committed to carrying out the demolitions without bias.
“The SC order has to be followed and we are at the executing level. We will do whatever we are told. We can’t pick and choose,” he said.
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Whose land is it anyway
The encroachment drive has stirred up a thorny issue—land ownership. Villagers insist they are the rightful private owners of the shamlat deh or community-owned land.
Until about 40 years ago, this land belonged to the village panchayats. But in the 1970s, the Haryana government transferred ownership from the panchayats to the community under the East Punjab Holding (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948. Every villager with agricultural holdings received a corresponding share of shamlat land.
The idea behind this was to consolidate farmland and improve agricultural productivity. But in many villages, this land was ‘gair mumkin pahar’, or uncultivable hilly terrain. It had no use for farming. So villagers began selling off their land to various buyers, including real-estate developers.
“The villagers started chakbandi (consolidation) of their land share and started selling to private players,” said Agarwal.
Forest officials say villagers have no claim over gair mumkin pahar land, which is classified as protected under the 1992 PLPA notification.
But the residents are not giving up without a fight. For over a month now, they’ve been holding an indefinite protest, demanding a halt to demolitions and the establishment of lal dora status—marking of land in revenue records.
A large flex board at the entrance of Anangpur announces a Jan Andolan (people’s movement): “Sarkar hamara pratham lal dora sthapit karein” (The government should establish our first lal dora).
While some in Anangpur had sold their plots earlier, others ran or rented out farmhouses themselves. The demolitions have now cut off that income stream, and there’s growing anxiety that private homes—not just commercial venues—could be next.
“We have been living here for the last 1,000 years. No one stopped us in the past. Now our houses and farmhouses are being demolished, and our survival is under threat,” said Prem Krishna Arya, a resident of Anangpur.
In this season of discontent, a Mahapanchayat was held on 13 July, and several khaps—including Dhankhad Khap and Baghpat ki Khap—came out in support. Several political leaders, including former deputy CM Dushyan Chautala, MP Deepender Hooda, farm leader Rakesh Tikait, as well as dozens of MPs and MLAs lent their weight to the protest.
“The Haryana government is engaged in making the poor homeless under the guise of the Punjab Land Protection Act (PLPA) and is benefiting select moneylenders. The government has no right to destroy the homes of the poor, so the demolition going on in Faridabad should be stopped immediately, and the poor people should be given relief by changing the law,” said Chautala at the protest site.
The echo of the Mahapanchayat reached Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini. Three days after the protest, a delegation of Anangpur villagers met him at the PWD rest house in Gurugram.
“The state government fully respects the directions of the Supreme Court. However, we are equally sensitive to the sentiments of the people,” Saini said after the meeting. “Many of these families have lived in Anangpur for generations. We are committed to finding a balanced path that safeguards both our environment and our citizens.”
Gautam Badhana, an Anangpur resident, said the villagers waited for the government’s assurance but got only sympathy, not support. Around 15 advocates from the village have now joined hands to make their case for the 11,000 acres of land at stake. They are digging out old land documents, copies of land acts, and analysing past court orders.
“The government’s intention is to bring in developers by driving out villagers,” said Rohit Badhana, an advocate who is part of the legal team. “We are a warrior community who fought against every rule from Mughals to British. We are the original inhabitants of this mountain.”
(Edited by Asavari Singh)