Haryana moves to eat into Aravali green cover

CHANDIGARH/NEWDELHI: The Haryana government has decided to amend the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) in a move that could affect the Aravalis, catchments of the Badhkal, Surajkund and Damadama lakes, and other forest areas in a state with the lowest forest cover (3.59%) in the country, although the move will open up land for real estate development and also remove the bottlenecks for projects in limbo.

The change involves excluding tracts of land included in the final development plans or town improvement plans from the ambit of the PLPA.

The proposed amendment will allow construction in areas where it was previously not permitted due to enforcement of PLPA. It will also grant legitimacy to Kant Enclave in Faridabad, built on PLPA notified land and was ordered to be demolished by the Supreme Court.

Environmentalists were quick to target the state government for its dilution of the green law.

“Aravali areas are the only forested areas in cities like Gurugram and Faridabad... Diluting PLPA to expand real estate (activity) will destroy the Aravalis,” said Chetan Agarwal, an environment activist.