Global City project will eat into two forests in state, say activists

Gurgaon: The Haryana government’s ambitious global city project, which will serve as an important node to Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor (DMIC) in the state, is going to destroy two dense forests — 1,002-acre wildlife habitat near Patuadi and a 600-acre forestland in Narnaul.
TOI visited the 1,002-acre forest land in Pataudi and found that it is home to more than five animal species listed in the schedule I and II of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, apart from other 70 avian species. The area has thousands of sheesham trees, listed in appendix II of convention on international trade in endangered species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), which is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals.
While the forest has several wildlife species, which include Indian rock python, blue bulls, jackals and cobras, sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) found here is listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List.
According to locals, while sambar deer stray into the forest from the Aravalis, leopards are spotted in the area. “Even though leopards have not claimed any territory in the area so far, we have often spotted pugmarks here. Also, sambar deer strayed into this forest corridor from the Aravalis last year and made this area their home. It is quite disheartening to know that all this will be wiped out if the projects comes up,” said Anil Gandas, a wildlife activist.
According to the law, an area that has presence of the species listed under schedule I and II should be declared eco-sensitive, and non-forest activities should not be allowed. “Recently, National Board for Wildlife — a committee of the apex wildlife protection body — decided that any linear infrastructural project passing through the protected area or notified eco-sensitive zone should be given permission only after providing conservation funds and proper animal passage plan. The problem is that Haryana has not notified its eco-sensitive zone. However, any area that has presence of animals listed in schedule I and II should be declared eco-sensitive,” Gandas said.
Activists also blamed that the state government and the regional office of the union environment ministry for allowing non-forest activities in the area without conducting a proper environmental impact study. Vaishali Rana Chandra, a city-based conservationist, who has already taken up the matter with the forest department, said, “I filed an RTI query seeking information on presence of wildlife and status of the land allocated for DMIC by the government. However, the forest department has not provided me any information despite filing multiple pleas. It is clear that the authorities don’t want to show the presence of flora and fauna in the area and want to destroy the green spaces in the name of development. We will not let this happen.”
The Haryana government is planning to develop Global City near Sector 36B. The project is expected to have residential and industrial zones along with a large convention centre and an 82-km-long mass rapid transit system connecting Gurgaon, Manesar and Bawal.
A major part of land earmarked for the project in Patuadi is spread across Gadoli, Khandsa, Mohammedpur and Narsinghpur villages, and is protected under the Aravali notification 1992. Non-forest activity is prohibited here.
A study conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India in 2017 also indicates presence of wild animals, including leopards and hyenas in the area.