Bandhwari landfill, forest areas to undergo fresh encroachment survey

Forest department will inspect protected areas for illegal structures, tree felling and other violations, with the exercise set for August-end or early September.

The forest department will conduct a survey of the Bandhwari landfill and other forest pockets in the city after the ongoing plantation drive to check for encroachments and any expansion into the forest land, officials said.

Bandhwari landfill, forest areas to undergo fresh encroachment survey

Officials said there is no official record of a similar survey, making the exercise significant. The survey follows the department’s recent crackdown on illegal encroachments in protected forest areas and aims to establish the current status of the land.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) said the landfill covers around 30 acres. However, environmentalists and nearby villagers have alleged that the landfill may have expanded beyond its sanctioned boundary.

The Bandhwari landfill is located next to ecologically sensitive areas of the Aravallis. Surinder Dangi, divisional forest officer (DFO), said the exercise will determine whether any violations have taken place and ensure that protected forest land has not been affected.

Officials will check illegal encroachment, including temporary structures, tree felling and other unauthorised activities. “If any such violations are found, necessary action will be taken,” Dangi told HT.

The survey will be conducted in August-end or early September. Meanwhile, forest department officials have started planting about 150,000 saplings and maintaining existing green cover across Gurugram. Most of the plantation will take place in the Aravalli region with saplings of native species.

HT had earlier reported that the forest department is preparing to launch a demolition drive against illegal constructions on protected forest land in Gurugram after issuing notices to 21 illegal encroachments in Ghamroj area.