GURUGRAM: A two-kilometre-long road has been dug in the protected Aravali region, in what appeared to be a major violation of environmental norms.
TOI visited the area on Sunday and found that earth has been dug up from Kharak village to Raisina village, which local residents alleged was the act of farmhouse owners for illegally laying water pipelines from borewells situated in low-lying areas to their properties on the hills because of water scarcity in the region.
“This is not the first time that the road has been dug up for laying down a water pipeline in the area.
However, this is probably the first time that such a long stretch has been dug to lay the pipeline.
It is because water table on the hill has declined in the past three to four years.
Green activists have slammed the farmhouse owners for openly flouting the Supreme Court’s ban on extraction of groundwater in 448 square kilometre area of the Aravalis in Gurugram and Faridabad.
Besides, the area falls under the Aravali Notification Act and therefore no construction is allowed in the area.
In the past eight months, 11 cases of tree-felling and illegal construction have been reported in the Aravalis.
Four of which were reported from Raisina village.
Despite repeated attempts, D Hembram, conservator of forests (south circle), could not be contacted.