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Aravalli villagers fear land loss over demarcation
Officials, however, have stressed that the exercise is intended only to establish a uniform measurement system and does not involve consolidation of land.
New Delhi: A recent notification issued by the Haryana government to undertake “kilabandi”, or the demarcation of land into smaller plots, in Kot village in Faridabad’s Aravalli stretch has reignited fears among villagers and environmental experts that tracts of village common land in the ecologically fragile hills could eventually be transferred to private hands. Officials, however, have stressed that the exercise is intended only to establish a uniform measurement system and does not involve consolidation of land.
Kot, surrounded by rocky hills and dry decidous and thorny scrub forests, lies in one of the last relatively intact stretches of the Aravallis in the National Capital Region.
According to an October 30 notification issued by the Haryana government’s Directorate of Consolidation of Holdings and accessed by HT, the state proposes to take up consolidation-related proceedings in Kot village, which will involve kilabandi across the village to bring all land under a uniform measurement system – kanal (one-eighth of an acre) or marla (272.25 square feet). While the notification states that land classified as “gair mumkin pahar” or hilly, uncultivable terrain, shall not be consolidated, it explicitly allows kilabandi to be carried out even in these areas.
Kot village has more than 5,095 bighas (over 3,000 acres) of land, the majority of which lies in the hills and is classified as “shamlat”, or village common land. Of this, around 4,104 bighas fall under “gair mumkin pahar”. Villagers fear that once this land is formally demarcated into smaller units, it could pave the way for legitimising claims by private entities that allegedly acquired undivided shares in the common land decades ago through questionable means.
Residents allege that significant portions of Kot’s common land are already under the control of firms linked to a powerful and politically connected religious leader, while other parcels may be held by shell companies. Though this remains legally contested, villagers said formal demarcation could weaken their claims.
“We have said again and again that village common land should not be divided. Our case in the high court is pending. Now again they want to do kilabandi in the hills. Why? Because this benefits powerful private players. We want consolidation only in agricultural land, not in the Aravallis,” said Kesar Singh, sarpanch of Kot village.
Yash Pal, director of consolidation of holdings, Haryana, who issued the notification, said the fears were unfounded. “The kilabandi is being done in gair mumkin pahar only for uniform measurement. No consolidation will be carried out there. So, there is nothing to fear,” he said.
However, villagers say their concerns are shaped by a long legal history of similar exercises being used to fragment common land. In 2023, residents of Kot approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court challenging repeated notifications issued under Section 14(1) of the East Punjab Holdings (Consolidation and Prevention of Fragmentation) Act, 1948. They sought orders restraining the state from repeatedly including non-agricultural, hilly common land in consolidation proceedings.
In 2021, the state issued another notification to undertake consolidation, ostensibly limited to agricultural land. Villagers challenged that order as well, and the high court stayed the proceedings in a case titled Kesar Singh and others vs State of Haryana and others. Singh said the stay was later vacated after some petitioners reached a compromise with companies.
“We have realised that these notifications are being issued only to benefit private companies and individuals who illegally own land in the Aravallis,” Singh said.
Environmental analysts say Kot’s case mirrors a broader pattern seen across the Faridabad-Gurugram Aravallis. In the 1970s, villagers in Mangar, another Aravalli village nearby, approached a local court and obtained a judgment that allowed privatisation of common land. That ruling became a template for other villages.
“After Mangar, several villages followed the same route,” said Chetan Agarwal, a Gurugram-based forest analyst who has tracked land disputes in the Aravallis for years. “Common land was sold in undivided shares to outsiders. But to convert those shares into actual plots, the land needed to be partitioned. Consolidation proceedings around 1985-86 were misused to divide what was once panchayat-owned hill land.”
Agarwal said that while registration of shamlat land has largely been stopped since around 2012, there has been a steady transfer of property rights through indirect means. “Over 400 acres have been transferred via power-of-attorney transactions registered outside Haryana. These entities will be prime beneficiaries of the kilabandi exercise, as it facilitates the conversion of undivided shares into identifiable plots,” he said.
The issue has gained urgency in the context of recent changes in forest law. HT had reported in October 2023 that the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Act, 2023 removes protections derived from a Supreme Court judgment that extended forest status to lands identified by dictionary meaning. Environmentalists warn this could benefit firms holding land in Haryana’s Aravallis that would otherwise have qualified as “deemed forest”.
Adding to the uncertainty is the Union environment ministry’s evolving definition of the Aravalli Hills. On November 20, the Supreme Court accepted a uniform, elevation-based definition proposed by a Centre-appointed expert committee. As HT reported earlier, the committee recommended that only landforms rising at least 100 metres above the local relief qualify as Aravalli Hills, a move environmentalists fear could leave large areas outside legal protection.
“Since hilly areas are uncultivable, the consolidation order of 2011 was withdrawn and Kot was de-notified on 23rd August, 2012. There have been several vain attempts since then. Statutory consolidation exercise is done for agricultural lands only. Unfortunately, under the garb of consolidation, real estate and mining interests are being facilitated in the Aravallis, trumping environmental concerns. If Aravallis are destroyed by human greed, it will be difficult to sustain life in NCR. AQI will worsen further due to the inflow of desert sand. Climate will become more severe. Attempts to destroy the hills which sustain life in NCR must be met with a firm hand,” said Ashok Khemka, retired IAS officer, former additional chief secretary, Haryana and whistleblower in Haryana land grab cases. “The new notification dated 30 Oct. 2025, issued within just three days of the denotification order dated 27.10.2025 of the same area is prone to misuse, if consolidation is mixed with killabandi,” he explained.
