Residents and the residents’ welfare association (RWA) of Aravalli Woods condominium in DLF Phase 3 have written to the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) commissioner on March 18, flagging large-scale encroachment inside the adjoining Aravalli Biodiversity Park and seeking immediate intervention.
In their letter, residents said several illegal shanties and temporary hutments have come up within the park in recent months, aided by the absence of a proper pucca boundary wall. They termed the open periphery an “easy access” point and demanded an immediate inspection, along with a time-bound plan to secure the area.
The RWA also urged authorities to identify and relocate labour huts and temporary settlements within the biodiversity park, calling them unauthorised and unsafe. Bidyut Tamuly, a resident, claimed the scale of encroachment is significant. “This is a massive encroachment, with nearly 5,000 to 6,000 labourers living in illegal shanties inside the biodiversity park. The absence of a pucca boundary wall has turned it into a serious security and environmental concern,” he said. “Even if a boundary wall is constructed, the primary issue that needs to be addressed is the removal of the encroachments.”
Responding to the allegations of encroachment, Raj Kumar, district forest official, said that any encroachments “towards the forest area will be removed on a priority basis.”
Clarifying the jurisdiction, officials said the forest area falls under the forest department, the biodiversity park is maintained by the MCG, while the residential society comes under DLF.
Vishal Darad, joint secretary of the RWA, said an existing fence installed 10 to 12 years ago is now ineffective. “Without a sturdy boundary wall, even animals can easily enter the condominium. A permanent pucca wall of adequate height and strength is urgently needed along the vulnerable perimeter to replace the current chain-link fence and other inadequate barriers,” he said.
Residents also alleged that some encroachments are being used by drug addicts as hideouts during the day, raising safety concerns for families. “We have a large number of senior citizens living in our society, and this is also a serious safety issue for our children. The park, which is meant to serve as a forested area for the community, has been severely encroached upon,” said Azad Singh, RWA secretary.To be sure, the claims of drug addicts using the encroachments as hideouts have not been independently verified by the police.
The complaint comes days after reports of repeated break-in attempts in nearby block S of DLF Phase 3, which residents linked to proximity to the park.
Ward councillor Sundar Singh said the encroachments are illegal. “They should be removed, and we have already raised complaints with the MCG. These encroachments pose serious safety risks to multiple families and also threaten the environment,” he said.
A junior MCG official said a complaint was received on Friday and a team was sent for inspection but added, “I am not aware of the massive encroachment in the biodiversity park. We will send a team for inspection in the upcoming week.”
MCG officials said streetlights and boundary wall construction fall under DLF’s responsibility.
An official spokesperson from DLF said a joint security walk was conducted on March 10 with residents and security teams to assess vulnerabilities. “We are mapping the blind spots and vulnerable areas and boundary stretches. Installation of additional CCTV cameras has been taken up on our end for surveillance. We have also deployed additional night patrol teams and constructed precast boundary wall segments with concertina wire,” the spokesperson said.