A property dealer allegedly had 21 fully grown trees and two dozen saplings chopped off from the green belt along the main road in Sushant Lok on Saturday evening as these trees overshadowed his office. The matter was brought to the notice of police when a green activist noticed the menace and reported the matter Monday morning.
However, the property dealer claim innocence and said someone with grudges against him could have got the trees cut from in front of his office as part of a conspiracy.
Forest department officials have decided to prosecute the property dealer in the Special Environment Court, Faridabad on the charges of destroying greenery and violation of Section 4 of Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), 1900.
Devender Rao, the forest range officer said that 21 fully grown up Casia Samia trees with girth measuring between 21 and 96 cms and about 24 saplings were found to be cut from little above their roots on the green belt along the main busy road in Sushant Lok.
"All the chopped trees were found to be cut in the 30-feet wide green belt right in front of the building of Amit Real Estate office which is owned by Amit Goyal. He is also a resident of Sushant Lok. These trees were cut in the dark cover on Saturday evening. These trees were overshadowing his office and avoiding visibility from the main road. Mass scale cutting of trees was reported to us by a green activist Vivek Kamboj to us today morning," Rao said.
He said that entire Gurgaon came under section 4 of PLPA that prohibits the people from cutting trees even on private land without the permission of the forest department. The permission to cut trees was granted only in very special cases where it was absolutely necessary to cut trees, he added.
{{/usCountry}}He said that entire Gurgaon came under section 4 of PLPA that prohibits the people from cutting trees even on private land without the permission of the forest department. The permission to cut trees was granted only in very special cases where it was absolutely necessary to cut trees, he added.
{{/usCountry}}“We have taken stock of the situation and have asked Amit Goyal to explain his side of the story,” Rao said.