The report will give the Committee an idea as to how the authorities concerned have implemented court instructions against unauthorised constructions.

The inspection team of the Monitoring Committee found that forestland was not clearly demarcated in the area around Vasant Kunj and Jaunapur and Mandi village in Mehrauli. “There is no certainty whether the unauthorised construction is on forest land or not as there is no clear demarcation. If the area is under forestland, it will come under forest authorities. But if it is not under forestland, it will come under agencies like the DDA or MCD. People have taken advantage of this confusion to construct on these lands,” Monitoring Committee member R S Gupta told Newsline.

The inspection team found 25-30-year-old colonies like Israeli colony in the forest area in Vasant Kunj where there were 300-400 houses.

“This shows that these people have been permitted to stay here by forest authorities. They will now have to be shifted from here and relocated. These people have also expanded their habitations. We have clearly instructed the forest authorities not to allow them to expand and put barbed wire to contain their habitations, if necessary,” Gupta said.

The team found pucca construction on agricultural land in the Vasant Kunj area just under the high-tension wire, violating the Electricity Act. “This is illegal and dangerous. We have demanded an explanation from the revenue authorities and the DDA and asked them to take action,” he said.