Gurugram, Jun 28 (IANS): The Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) on Monday razed four under construction illegal farmhouses and road network constructed on the Aravalli mountain range at Gairatpur Bas here, officials said.

According to the DTCP officials, Gurugram district is an urban and controlled area in which permission is required to be taken from the competent authority before the development of a colony.

"The violators were developing an illegal colony without any permission. Besides, they were also planning to extend the colony to further 15 acres of adjacent land as well, as new excavation work for laying down road network was evident at the site, while many trees were also found to be uprooted.

Four under construction farmhouse structures were demolished, boundary walls and road network was razed," R.S Batth, district town planner told IANS.

Earlier on June 23, a team of the Municipal Council of Sohna had demolished nine illegal farmhouses built on the Aravalli mountain range at Raisina village of Gurugram.

The drive was conducted at nine illegal farmhouses which included a boundary wall, tin shades and pillar.

The demolition was carried out under Section 4 of Aravalli Notification which says that these hills cannot be used for any purpose other than a plantation.

This was done in compliance with a National Green Tribunal (NGT) order from December 2020, which instructed that all such establishments built on the Aravalli range of Gurugram be razed by January 31.

As per a recent forest department survey, there are at least 500 such farmhouses built illegally on Aravalli land in Gurugram, concentrated in areas like Gwal Pahari, Gairatpur Bas, Sohna and Manesar.