New Delhi: Ravage of ecosensitive Aravali hills for stones and construction material continues, despite the Supreme Court’s omnibus ban on mining and non-forest activity, the central empowered committee said in its report to the apex court on Monday. The CEC, which conducted an inspection on the apex court’s March 12 order, found many farmhouses have come up in Gurgaon district in blatant violation of the SC’s ban order requiring imposition of exemplary punishment, amicus curiae K Parmeshwar told a bench of Justices K S Radhakrishnan and C K Prasad. In another audacious breach of the apex court order and violation of the Forest (Conservation) Act, the CEC found one Ram Pal Suhag to have allegedly felled 4,560 trees in 15 acres of land at Raisina village in Gurgaon district before leveling the ground and constructing a boundary wall. “This area is also stated to be covered under the Aravali Plantations Project funded by the European Union and wherein the mining and other activities are prohibited by the apex court’s March 18, 2004, order," the CEC said. Adjacent to the 15-acre plot, the CEC found large number of farmhouses being constructed. "While many of these farmhouses may have been constructed prior to the 2004 judgment, the construction has prima facie taken place in violation of the Aravali Notification," it said. The Aravali Notification was issued by the Union ministry of environment and forest on May 7, 1992, under the Environment (Protection) Act that bans felling of trees and construction in the notified area without prior permission. The bench issued notices to the Haryana government and the deputy commissioners and superintendents of police of the two districts seeking their response to the CEC and warned: "We must take someone to task for such things happening just 50 km away from Delhi." “The CEC was informed by the district officers that there are more than 100 stone crusher units in Mewat district and applications for another 50 are pending. The presence of a large number of stone crushers acts as an incentive for illegal mining. It is necessary that establishment and functioning of stone crushers is strictly regulated and without which any effective control on illegal mining may not be feasible," it said.