Gurugram losing its green cover, 18,000 trees axed in last 3 years

Gurugram: According to the information from the Haryana forest department to Millennium Post, there have been 18,000 trees that have been cut in Gurugram in the last three years.

Moreover, there are 5,000 trees that are expected to be felled in the coming year due to the ongoing infrastructural works that are being carried out. In the year 2017, there were 7,221 trees that were felled, most of the trees were at the Delhi-Jaipur Expressway, where besides the widening of road a large number of underpasses and flyovers have been built. In 2018, the figures substantially increased to 7,551. It is during this phase when the trees were axed at the Old Delhi road and Sohna road for the building of flyovers.

"The growth of the city has resulted in enhancing its infrastructure due to which the trees were cut. We are however also taking steps to improve the green cover of the city and taking initiatives of planting large number of trees through community participation" said a senior an official from the South Haryana Forest Department.

It is important to note that at Sohna road city's first elevated flyover is coming up. In 2019, over 3,000 trees have been cut. While this is the official's count of trees being felled a large number of green cover in the city is getting adversely affected due to illegal cutting of the trees. For long there have been complaints and allegations by the green activists of how various government connive with the green activists and deliberately reduce the green cover fo the Aravallis.

Even as the matter of providing proper definition to Aravallis thus providing it with the status of forested area remains pending in the Apex court, cases of real estate developments on the green cover area of Aravallis continue to be witnessed in the city. Moreover, the new saplings that are being planted are also dying early due to the lack of maintenance.

Haryana Forest Department which is also involved in the selling of wood and commercial plantation is among the few government departments that are making profits. However, the last commercial plantation that was conducted by the department in Gurugram was way back in 2010.