Sector 79 golf course directed to remove illegal structures from Aravalli forest land in 15 days

As per revenue records, about 25 to 30 acres of the golf course is built on either Aravalli plantation land or on land which is protected under the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, forest department officials said. The golf course is spread over 250 acres, the officials said.

The district forest department has served a notice to Golden Greens Golf Club and Resorts in Sector 79, near Sakatpur village, asking it to stop any unauthorised non-forestry activities and to remove any illegal structures from a part of its golf course that is built on protected Aravalli forest land.

The forest department on Friday served Gurgaon’s Golden Greens Golf Club (near Sakatpur village) with a notice asking it to remove illegal constructions from mushtil nos 49 and 55, which show that the club is occupying about 25 to 30 acres of protected forest land, in Gurugram, on Sunday, 04 August 2019. ((Photo by Yogendra Kumar/Hindustan Times))

As per revenue records, about 25 to 30 acres of the golf course is built on either Aravalli plantation land or on land which is protected under the Punjab Land Preservation Act, 1900, forest department officials said. The golf course is spread over 250 acres, the officials said.

The golf club has been given 15 days to comply with the notice (a copy of which is with HT), failing which any illegal structures will be demolished, said the department officials.

“We have found that a part of the golf course, specifically in mustil (plot) numbers 49 and 55, is built on land, which is to be protected as per Supreme Court orders in 2004 and 2009 related to protection of forests. Most of the illegal occupation of the golf course is of Aravalli plantation land, while a smaller part falls under PLPA,” said Subash Yadav, district forest officer (DFO), Gurugram. Yadav explained that, on both counts, the land was to be treated as forest with protection under the Forest Conservation Act, 1980.

When asked about the notice, Ashok Bharadwaj, administrative manager at Golden Greens Golf Club, said on Saturday, “We have not received any notice or letter. We have no illegal construction on such land. In case of any, our land department will see the matter.”

Despite repeated requests, however, Bharadwaj did not provide a response from the golf club’s land department.

Yadav, who recently joined as DFO, said, “We will be making a concerted effort to remove any type of encroachment on protected Aravalli land.”

The HT, on Sunday, reached out to a senior functionary of the club who maintained that they have not received any such notice. However, the functionary did not wish to be quoted.