The Supreme Court had earlier set March 31 as the deadline for affected residents to vacate their premises and later extended the deadline till July, provided they submit an undertaking before the court.
Several of these residents expressed optimism that the Haryana government would amend the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) and legalise their assets, despite several structures in the enclave being razed on April 1 as per the apex court’s demolition order.
The residents said that they were deeply pained by the action taken by the administration as the directions given by the apex court were not about demolition but getting the houses vacated
The Supreme Court had, on September 18, 2018, ordered demolition of the houses built illegally in Kant Enclave after 1992. The court had held that construction of the houses caused severe ecological damage to the Aravalli hills.