High Court reopens 900-metre restricted zone around ammunition depot
After nearly three decades of stalled development, around two lakh residents of old Gurugram in Haryana have received a ray of hope. The Punjab and Haryana High Court has intervened to reconsider the long-standing 900-metre restricted zone around the Air Force ammunition depot. The court's order, issued on petitions including one from the Gurgaon One Residents Welfare Association, cited the Supreme Court's December 2024 ruling in M/s Goya Resorts Pvt. Ltd. vs Union of India. That judgment quashed the 1983 declaration under Section 3 of the Works of Defence Act, 1903, because the Centre failed to act on it for nearly 40 years.
Legal status of the restriction
The Additional Solicitor General confirmed before the High Court that no fresh notification had been issued since the 1983 declaration was quashed. This leaves the old curb legally hollow, although construction in the zone remains barred until the Centre takes a fresh view. The legal opening has now been seized politically.
MLA seeks fresh notification
Gurgaon MLA Mukesh Sharma (BJP) has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking a fresh, scientifically based notification. He proposes retaining only the tight buffer that defence authorities consider essential — 300, 100, or even 50 metres — while freeing the 300-to-900-metre band, which covers nearly 600 metres of dense habitation, for municipal governance and regularisation.
Impact on residents and infrastructure
The restriction blankets a large stretch of old Gurugram. Residents hold valid electricity connections and sewerage links and pay property tax, yet roads, drainage, and street lighting remain stalled because the municipal corporation cites the 900-metre bar. Crucially, property registries stay blocked, leaving families unable to legally buy or sell their homes. Around the Sheetla Mata Mandir, visited by lakhs of devotees, works worth nearly ₹150 crore have reportedly been stalled within a kilometre radius.
Political and administrative response
"The government should act swiftly, and the PMO must ensure fresh instructions are issued," the MLA told The Tribune. "This does not pertain to Gurugram alone, there are many such areas across the country where lakhs of people suffer because of a redundant notification. It is high time this is changed," he added. Sharma also represented the matter to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and the Department of Defence Estates. He said the affected belt forms a major part of old Gurugram, and a rational policy could bring relief to lakhs while respecting genuine security needs.
