Haryana might lose 30% forest cover if construction ban is lifted

UNWISE MOVE The state stands to lose 50,000 hectares of protected forest area if the government’s plan is sanctioned

GURGAON: Haryana could lose as much as 30% forest cover in the natural conservation zone (NCZ) if the proposed plan of the state government to lift the ban on construction in the zone gets approved.

Should the plan get the clearance, 51,000 hectares of protected area in the NCZ could be encroached upon.

The natural conservation zone is categorised under two heads — ‘confirmed’ NCZ and ‘yet to be decided’ NCZ. While the former has 51,000 hectares of forest land in its cover, the latter spreads across 11,500 hectares.

Also, according to the Forest Survey of India report, 30% of total forest area in the state falls in natural conservation zones. The NCZ is defined as an area where construction beyond a limit of 0.5% is not permitted under the Regional Plan- 2021 (RP-’21). Haryana has 1,70,000 hectares of forest area which does not include the ‘yet to be decided’ NCZ, as per the data released by the state forest department, official sources said.

The plan, if sanctioned, could pose a grave risk to over 11,000 hectares of forest land in Gurgaon and Faridabad which are yet to be incorporated in the ‘yet to be decided’ NCZ category. Of the forest land that is yet to be included in this category, the Gurgaon district alone accounts for 10,000 hectares. Sources said the land was left out of the NCZ as the state government is yet to take a call on its status as forest.

In its proposal to the Union urban development ministry and the NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) in December last year, the Haryana government spoke in favour of lifting construction ban in the Aravalli hills region, the whole of NCR and more areas under the Aravalli notification of 1992.

The region has, of late, seen large-scale and indiscriminate felling of trees, especially in the forested areas. Of all the states, Haryana has the second lowest forest cover after Punjab.

“The NCR Regional Plan 2021, published in 2005, clearly states that the areas surrounding the Aravalli hills are part of the NCZ. The RP-’21 is a blueprint for planned development in the NCR,” Chetan Agarwal, an environment analyst, said.

The regional plan 2021 has a chapter on land use that clearly mentions the different land use categories in the NCZ section. The NCZ is split under six subheads — forest areas, water bodies, river beds, paleo-channels, notified sanctuaries and foot hills.