Trees in Aravallis being felled at an alarming rate

Gurugram: Despite litigations, numerous protests and raising their voices in media platforms, the Aravallis around Gurugram and Faridabad continue to deplete steadily.

Allegations have surfaced that over 500 trees were cleared in Mangar Bani area on Sunday.

This is not for the first time when incidents of massive tree-felling have been reported from the green belt of Aravallis, especially in Mangar Bani.

The allegation has been levelled by villagers and green activists, pointing out that bulldozers were being used to clear the two acre area of trees.

There are also claims that as no action was taken by the authorities during the course of destruction that took place on Sunday. Despite being protected under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), the 435-acre forest area continues to bear the brunt with the mafia brazenly defying the laws and felling the trees.

Green activists, for long, have charged the Haryana government and its machinery of colluding with the mafia and not saving the natural habitat.

Reports of Haryana government considering restricting the ranges of Aravallis forests till Gurugram district has not gone well with green activists.

Many claimed that this was deliberate attempt by the authorities to end green belt of the region. Presently, according to Indian Forest Act, only four per cent of the area of Aravallis in Gurugram is notified as forest.

The Punjab Land Conservation Act allows 25 per cent of the green cover of Aravallis to be defined as forest area depending upon how dense the vegetation is.

A major reason why Aravallis continue to be exploited and plundered by real estate sharks in the city is the lack of delineation which prevents Aravallis in Gurugram to be called as forest area.