MP raises concern over Haryana green cover in Parliament

Gurugram: Member of parliament of Rajya Sabha for Haryana, Kumari Selja, raised the issue of legal protection for the state’s forests and Aravalli regions during

Gurugram: Member of parliament of Rajya Sabha for Haryana, Kumari Selja, raised the issue of legal protection for the state’s forests and Aravalli regions during the zero hour session in Parliament on Tuesday. Selja also called for the formation of a task force dedicated to raising Haryana’s forest cover from the 3.5%, at present, to 5% by 2024, and 10% by 2030.

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Selja also referred to a recent report by the environment ministry, recommending a 47% reduction in Haryana’s natural conservation zones (NCZ), which was first reported by HT on November 28. In Gurugram, specifically, the environment ministry’s report has recommended excluding 4,334.23 hectares of land from the NCZ (of the original 19,417.29 hectares). Similarly, in Faridabad, 2,883.71 hectares have been recommended for exclusion (from the original 15,401.55 hectares).

“Forest cover in Haryana is just 3.59%, lowest in India, and is mostly concentrated in the uncultivable areas of Aravalli hills in the south and Shivalik hills in the north of Haryana. The legal forest area is lower than this. Recently, the ministry of environment, forest and climate change claimed a reduction of 47% (57,728 ha) in the NCZs, including forests and Aravallis, in the NCR districts of Haryana, between 1999 and 2019,” Selja said, expressing concern over the state’s depleting green cover.

Despite this depletion, which has been ongoing for several years in contravention of the Supreme Court orders calling for the protection of Aravallis at any cost, Selja said, “The Punjab Land Preservation (Haryana Amendment) Bill 2019 was passed in the Haryana assembly on February 27, 2019. It will dilute the PLPA Act of 1900, and make 74,000-odd acres notified in hilly areas of 130 villages non-forest.” She continued by drawing attention to the reluctance of states nationwide to identify their deemed forests, as per Supreme Court orders.

The cumulative effect of the PLPA and exclusion of land from the NCZ, Selja said, would be a major ecological setback for the state, as well as Delhi-NCR. “The Aravalli hill forests in Gurugram and Faridabad are our green lungs in the Delhi–NCR. They check desertification in the Indo-Gangetic plain, recharge groundwater and are a wildlife habitat. Their loss will adversely affect citizens in Delhi-NCR and northern states, who already face severe air pollution throughout the year,” she said.

Jawahar Yadav, BJP state secretary for Haryana, responded by saying that the majority of degradation of the Aravallis happened during the term of the previous Congress-led government, due to mining activities, which are no longer prevalent. “The BJP is serious about protection of the Aravallis, as evidenced by steps to protect the Mangar Bani sacred grove. As far as the PLPA amendment is concerned, it has not been enacted into law yet. The aim in amending the PLPA was not to reduce forest cover, but to ensure that farmers in rural districts can cultivate their lands without encumbrance and that people who have built homes in recognised residential areas, such as Gurugram’s own Aravalli foothills, remain secure.”