Gurgaon: Farmhouses cut into hill slopes, swimming pools overlook scrub forest, and paved private entries now mark a protected stretch of the Aravalis in Sohna, where the law says the land should have remained untouched.In Golden Heights, permanent structures have come up on terrain recorded as ‘gair mumkin pahad’ — non-buildable hill land — exposing yet another round of violations in one of Delhi-NCR’s most fragile ecological zones. A visit to the area found operational farm stays and recreational structures inside the hill tract. There were farmhouses too, boundary walls, gates, paved access roads and other permanent features.At one site, a partly built boundary wall rose out of dense, uneven vegetation, its exposed brickwork and unfinished edges suggesting recent construction. The surrounding rocky slope, dotted with native trees and shrubs, appeared to have been cut and cleared rather than naturally opened up. Deeper inside, a green-roofed structure was visible through the foliage.Elsewhere, a finished entrance had already taken shape. A large metal gate set between stone-clad walls, barbed wire on top, and a concretised driveway carved into the natural gradient of the hill. Vegetation had been cleared along the access path, and a utility pole beside the wall suggested formal service connections to the property. Further along, a fully developed frontage with plastered walls, lighted pillars, a wide gate, ornamental stonework and a paved approach showed how raw intrusion into the hillside had given way to upscale private enclosure.A satellite map of the area showed multiple built-up pockets within a demarcated stretch covering parts of Golden Heights and adjoining Aravali land, including private farm stays and commercial properties.A public notice installed on the hill stated that the land has been transferred to Sohna Municipal Council through ‘intkaal’ entry number 18932. It warned that all land covered under the mutation now vests with the civic body and that any construction or encroachment is a legal offence that will invite strict action.The notice cites the 1992 Aravali notification, sections 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act, and protected forest provisions.According to revenue maps, parts of the land are recorded as ‘gair mumkin pahad’ under general Section 4 of the PLPA, where non-forest activity is barred. Under the Union environment ministry’s Aravali notification, buildings, roads, electrification and tree felling on such land require prior approval.In a Dec 9, 2022 order, National Green Tribunal asked Haryana and Rajasthan govts to set up a monitoring committee and carry out periodic — preferably quarterly — reviews until all encroachments were cleared from ‘gair mumkin pahad’ areas in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Nuh and Alwar.“It is surprising that fresh construction is continuing directly under the nose of the district administration, Sohna municipal council, forest department and town and country planning department. This is a blatant violation of NGT orders,” environmental activist SS Oberoi said.Sohna municipal council chairperson Preeti Badgi said enforcement, including notices and demolition, “has been initiated after the mutation and in line with NGT orders”.The issue comes despite years of scrutiny. In an affidavit before NGT, Haryana State Pollution Control Board said Sohna municipal council had demolished 101 illegal farmhouses since 2020, removed boundary walls over more than 120 acres, and razed a 1.5km road. An FIR was also registered on June 23, 2025, over the illegal road. In an action-taken report filed on July 10, the council said notices had been issued to 330 farmhouse owners in Raisina and Golden Heights after a Punjab and Haryana high court order of June 3, 2020.
