GURUGRAM: Green activists on Thursday met Union environment minister
Dr Harsh Vardhan, demanding deployment of a special task force in the Aravalis after a surge in cases of poaching and tree felling.
"The illegal activities going on inside the forest area, right under the nose of the Haryana forest department, reiterate the necessity of a special task force in the Aravalis. Another reason for highlighting this is the recently released report by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change, which states that between 2014 and 2017, Haryana government topped the chart among all states for diverting their forest land to non-forest activities, especially when the state has the second lowest forest cover in the country," stated the letter written by the activists to the Union minister.
"We are glad the minister immediately asked the director general of forest to look into the matter and also asked us to meet him. The ministry has instructed the Haryana forest department to address the complaint at the earliest," said Vaishali Chandra Rana, an environmental activist. She had also written to Haryana chief minister
Manohar Lal Khattar on the matter, but said she didn't get any response.
On December 9, an animal activist found a peacock stuck in a trap in the Raisina area of the Aravalis. After he raised an alarm, activists uncovered more traps in the area.
Shivani Sharma of
Animal Welfare Board of India (AWBI), who has been patrolling the Aravalis along with her team, said, "In the past 20 days, a number of peacocks were found with their legs clasped in metal traps. These traps are installed not just for peacocks, but also for jackals and other wild animals. Even though the matter was immediately brought to the notice of police and forest department, the concerned police station refused to lodge an FIR regarding poaching of the national bird. "
The activists also raised a concern over felling of trees. "While patrolling in the Aravalis, we have come across many sites where trees have been chopped. The modus operandi is to first clear certain patches, and then construct a structure on the cleared land," said Rana.
Conservator of forest (Gurgaon circle) D Hembram told TOI, "We've got to know that a few residents have met the minister. We're going to take appropriate and strict action against poachers to prevent such illegal activities."
Sources said the department has been struggling from shortage of guards, as a result of which, many senior officials themselves attend patrolling duties in the Aravalis.
It needs to be mentioned here that a proposal of the district forest department to have a special task force for the Aravalis was not approved by the state two years ago.
