The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has sought a joint report from the Centre and the Haryana government on a plea seeking action against construction of police lines in the forest land of Aravalis.
A Bench headed by NGT chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel directed the regional office of the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change in Chandigarh and the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests of the State government to furnish a report on the same.
“Let a factual and action taken report in the matter be furnished jointly within one month. The nodal agency will be the PCCF, Haryana for coordination and compliance,” the Bench said. The directions came when the panel was hearing a plea while alleging that Haryana Police is carrying out construction work on forest land where it is not permissible.
The plea contended that the parcel of land is recorded as Gair Mumkin Pahar or “land unfit for cultivation.” It was further contended that construction cannot take place in the said piece of land without prior approval from the Centre.
Petitioner Ram Avatar Yadav moved the plea based on an RTI reply which said that the land allotted to the police department for construction of police lines, lies within the Aravali Plantation Forest which is a deemed forest.