Tree felling reported in Faridabad’s ‘deemed forest’ Aravalli tract

In a complaint to the forest department, the original petitioner before NGT said ‘a concerted effort is underway to clear the area of all trees’

Environmental activists have flagged large-scale felling of trees and clearing of vegetation in Sarai Khwaja village in Faridabad’s Aravallis, an area declared a “deemed forest” by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) in March 2019.

A photo shared by an environmentalist on alleged damage. (HT Photo)

In a complaint to the divisional forest officer (DFO), Faridabad Forest Division, on Saturday, Lt Col Sarvadaman Singh Oberoi (retd), the original petitioner before the NGT, alleged that “a concerted effort is underway to clear the area of all trees and regeneration in an apparent effort to frustrate the NGT’s orders and violate the status quo situation.” He added, “This cutting of trees of all sizes is amply visible in the attached photos with the time, date and GPS location (Lat. Long.) stamp of today, Saturday, 30.08.2025.”

Oberoi has submitted photos and videos of the felling to the forest department. He pointed to the timing of the activity, saying, “The timing of this activity is particularly suspect, as it comes just after a week or two of the notification of the definition of forest as per the dictionary meaning by the Govt of Haryana, which has fixed a minimum threshold of forest cover for the same. It is submitted that this clearing is an attempt to create new facts on the ground and subvert the orders of the hon’ble NGT and the hon’ble SC regarding deemed forests.”

According to the DFO, nearly an acre of shrubs had been cleared. On August 18, Haryana issued a notification defining “forest as per dictionary meaning” with restrictive technical criteria, a move environmental activists have warned could strip most of the state’s remaining Aravalli tracts of legal protection. The definition requires a minimum canopy density of 40% and coverage of at least five hectares if isolated, or two hectares if contiguous with government-notified forests. It excludes all linear, compact agroforestry plantations and orchards outside notified forests.

Surender Dhangi, DFO Faridabad, confirmed the department had acted on the complaint. “We got the complaint and immediately rushed a team to the spot. “The clearing of vegetation has been stopped,” he said. It was not immediately clear on whose behest the clearing was undertaken.

HT had reported on March 9, 2019, that the NGT held a 52-acre plot in Sarai Khwaja village to be a “deemed forest”, a ruling with potential implications for real estate projects across the Aravallis. The case arose after Haryana permitted the felling of over 7,000 trees in 2017, including mesquite and axle wood (dhau), for a group housing project by Bharti Land Limited. The tribunal rejected the state’s contention that the land was not a forest because it was not recorded as such in revenue records, calling the interpretation “an erroneous understanding of law.”

Three months later, the Haryana government moved the Supreme Court, calling the NGT’s order “erroneous in law” and seeking to quash it. According to Oberoi and other activists defending the NGT order, the case has had only one hearing so far.

According to activists defending the NGT’s order, the case has had only one hearing so far, with the next scheduled for September 17, 2025.