Illegal construction persists in Aravalis near Gurugram

28 Sep 2023 CW Team

Despite Supreme Court and National Green Tribunal (NGT) orders to remove illegal structures in the protected Raisina hills of the Aravalis, ongoing construction activity persists. A recent visit by TOI revealed the construction of new boundary walls, land clearing, and borewell digging. These actions are in violation of the 1992 Aravali Notification, which strictly prohibits construction and tree felling without permission in protected areas.

The area in question is in close proximity to Ansal Aravali Retreat, where illegal construction continues despite multiple NGT rulings. The lack of action by the district administration has allowed for the emergence of new plots, boundary walls, land levelling, and fencing in the Aravalis.

Local residents have reported ongoing construction on approximately five to six plots, along with several borewells being dug and roads being laid. Recent amendments to forest conservation norms have increased land prices, attracting numerous prospective buyers to the area.

Col SS Oberoi (retd), an environmentalist, expressed concern over the encroachment in the Aravalis and the failure of the district administration to take action, despite court orders. In December of the previous year, NGT had instructed the Haryana and Rajasthan governments to establish a monitoring committee to oversee the removal of encroachments and illegal construction in protected Aravali regions in Gurgaon, Faridabad, Nuh, and Alwar.

In 2018, NGT mandated the restoration of all protected Aravalis in Gurgaon and Faridabad. Although the Gurgaon district committee issued show-cause notices to property owners in 2020, areas covered by the Aravali Notification are yet to be restored as forests.

In 2021, the Sohna Municipal Council demolished approximately 30 structures in the region. In 2019, around 195 show-cause notices were issued to farmhouse owners for unauthorised construction in the Aravalis, primarily in the Ansals Aravali Retreat area.

Building Material

18 Sep 2025

Ambuja Cements Drags JSW Cement to Court Over ‘Kawach’ Brand

Ambuja Cements, part of the Adani Group, has filed a trademark infringement case against JSW Cement in the Delhi High Court, alleging that its rival copied the ‘Kawach’ brand with its new product ‘Jal Kavach’.Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora issued summons to JSW Cement and its subsidiary, JSW IP Holdings Pvt Ltd, while referring the matter to mediation. Hearings are scheduled to resume on October 15 if no settlement is reached.Ambuja, which registered the ‘Kawach’ trademark in 2019, argues that the term ‘Kavach’—meaning shield—is the distinctive feature of its branding. ..

Bentley Systems Named Innovation Partner of the Year 2025 by Afcons

Bentley Systems, the infrastructure engineering software company, has been recognised by Afcons Infrastructure Limited as its Innovation Partner of the Year 2025 at the Innovation Partners 2025 Felicitation Ceremony in Mumbai. The award acknowledges Bentley’s contribution to Afcons’ engineering digitalisation journey through an enterprise agreement providing access to over 250 Bentley engineering software tools. This adoption has enabled Afcons to accelerate project delivery, standardise digital workflows, and strengthen innovation across its infrastructure portfolio. Among key i..

SBI Sells 13.18% Stake in Yes Bank to Japan’s SMBC

State Bank of India (SBI) has completed the sale of a 13.18 per cent stake in Yes Bank to Japan’s Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) for over Rs 8,889 crore. The divestment is part of a Rs 13,482 crore deal finalised in May with SMBC and seven private banks.Following the transaction, SBI’s shareholding in Yes Bank stands at 10.8 per cent. The deal, involving 4,134.4 million shares at Rs 21.50 each, is the largest cross-border transaction in the Indian banking sector.SBI Chairman C S Setty described the 2020 RBI-led rescue of Yes Bank as a pioneering public-private partnership, addi..