Lack of space for compensatory afforestation forces officials to look at other districts

With different projects started in the past few years, almost 700 hectares of compensatory afforestation is yet to be completed. The delay is mainly due to a lack of land availability in the district

The Gurugram forest department has started searching for land in other districts to conduct compensatory afforestation on 700 hectares, officials said on Monday, due to paucity of space for the same in Gurugram.

According to records, almost 25,000 trees were felled in the district between 2013 and 2018. (HT Archive)

Rajeev Tejyan, the divisional forest officer of the Gurugram forest division, said, “With different projects started in the past few years, almost 700 hectares of compensatory afforestation is yet to be completed. The delay is mainly due to a lack of land availability in the district. There are several conditions that need to be met before starting any afforestation project. We have now started looking for land in other districts such as Panchkula and Faridabad.”

At present, Gurugram officials are undertaking compensatory afforestation near Morni-Pinjore in Panchkula district to compensate for the greenery cut for the Gurugram-Pataudi road widening project. Almost 8,000 trees were felled in the district for widening this road to have four lanes. Officials said that compensatory afforestation for some projects was carried out in Faridabad district. According to records, almost 25,000 trees were felled in the district between 2013 and 2018.

The afforestation process is carried out through Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA). The funds given under this initiative by the Central government are used for protecting the environment, compensating for losses incurred by deforestation and mining. The law aims to reimburse ecological damage caused due to the transfer of forest land.

A senior forest official, wishing not to be named, said, “We cannot carry out compensatory afforestation near roads as the trees would have to be felled if the road needs to be widened. Similarly, there is land available with panchayats in the district, but it cannot be done there too as panchayats can ask for their land back. The purpose is to develop substitute forests for trees that are being cut for infrastructure projects, but due to lack of land, we have started looking outside the district too.”

The official further said that the department is not able to carry out plantation in land falling under the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) due to lack of clarity, as in many places, private land also falls under PLPA.

According to directives of the Supreme Court, the PLPA attracts protection under the Forest Conservation Act of 1980, which states that “no state government or other authority shall make, except with the prior approval of the central government, any order directing that any forest land or any portion thereof may be used for any non-forest purpose.”