Khori: Rehab policy ready, says civic body to SC as petitioners allege State earlier lied about it

New Delhi: Even as the municipal corporation of Faridabad on Friday told the Supreme Court that the rehabilitation policy for those displaced by the demolition at Khori village was now ready — almost a month after the July 31 deadline, Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves on behalf

of some residents submitted that the Haryana government had made "completely false" representations about the policy.

"We have done an exhaustive report. We have been to the area, we have interviewed people and we have found a shocking state of affairs. We have put it on record here," Gonsalves told the bench.

The demolition drive in the Aravallis there was triggered after a Supreme Court order, however, the state was directed to finalise a rehabilitation policy for locals.

Nearly 30,000 residents in Khori have now lost their homes and livelihoods as the demolition continued amid fervent protests.

However, the apex court on Friday was also told by the Faridabad civic body that they were also focusing on the farmhouses built illegally on forest land and had demolished 9-10 such farmhouses.

A bench of justices A M Khanwilkar and Dinesh Maheshwari was told by senior advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for some of the petitioners who are residents of the village, that statements made by the state earlier regarding rehabilitation there were completely false.

When he submitted that the top court had earlier said that rehabilitation plans be notified by the authorities, the counsel appearing for the civic body informed, "The policy has since been finalised. I have got a copy of it yesterday. I will be placing it on record."

The corporation's counsel said he would share the copy of policy with Gonsalves and senior advocate Sanjay Parikh, who is representing some of the petitioners in the matter, and it has been finalised after taking into consideration the suggestions given by them.

The bench asked the state as well as the corporation to file their responses on the application filed by Gonsalves and said it would hear the matter on September 6.

The court added that the aspect regarding the rehabilitation scheme can be considered on the next date of hearing on September 9.

Parikh told the court that the situation is pathetic on the ground there and they have also visited the site.

When he said it is quite a serious thing , the bench observed, "What is serious, what is not, we will consider on the next date. Let them file their response. We are not trivializing anything".

Parikh said he had earlier made a statement in the court about the Radha Soami premises there also being in a forest area, referring to a forest department report before the NGT, declaring 123 properties built on forest land.

"There are two ways of doing it. We start investigating on all factual matters right now or allow them (authorities) to complete the

exercise, give compliance certificate and only thereafter go into the aspect which you are raising," the bench said, adding, "They are prioritising the action."

The bench said it would inquire into all the aspects after the compliance report is filed before it — asking all concerned authorities to file their responses on the issues raised by Parikh and said it would hear the matter on September 9.