The National Green Tribunal on Wednesday asked the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) to remove encroachments at the Sikandarpur region of the Aravali hills. The order came after the NGT took suo moto congnizance of the ongoing commercial establishments, including marble and liquor shops, in Sikandarpur off the MG Road.

In the interim order issued by the NGT's bench of justice Swatanter Kumar also rapped the district forest and pollution departments for failing to protect the forest land.

The Delhi-based environment watchdog also asked the pollution department to collect samples and check air pollution level in the area. The tribunal asked the department to submit its report by the next hearing on February 7.

The MCG, however, told the tribunal that it has not given permission to anyone to carry out commercial activity in Sikandarpur.

Hindustan Times has been reporting regularly about non-forest activities in Sikandarpur.

On January 9, the state pollution department had served a seven-day show cause notice to marble traders in Sikandarpur for violating the Environment Protection Act 1986.

The notices came after both the MCG and the Haryana Urban Development Corporation (Huda) failed to vacate the protected land in the past seven-eight years.