Gurgaon: National Green Tribunal (NGT) has said excavation of protected Aravali land in Faridabad’s Badkhal indicates violations of the Forest Conservation Act, Environment Protection Act, Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) and other environmental norms.The observation came after the tribunal registered a case based on a TOI report on Sept 3 about excavation on 25 acres of forest land in Badkhal. The NGT principal bench, headed by chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava, passed the order on Sept 16, raising substantial issues linked to compliance with environmental norms and implementation of statutory provisions.The tribunal has issued notices to the Haryana govt, principal chief conservator of forests, inspector general of forests, Haryana State Pollution Control Board (HSPCB) and Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).The tribunal observed that mining has been banned in Haryana‘s Aravalis for more than two decades. Despite this, two excavators were found operating on the 25-acre forest land. The order said extensive rock excavation and large quantities of broken stones were visible at the site, and vegetation had been cleared from a substantial portion of the area.The bench also said the land is protected under sections 4 and 5 of PLPA and falls within the Aravali landscape. It noted that no permission had been obtained from the forest department for excavation. “The matter indicates violation of Forest Act, 1980, Environment Protection Act, 1986 and other environmental norms, including PLPA,” the tribunal said.The respondents have been directed to file their replies through affidavits at least a week before the next hearing scheduled on Dec 1.The tribunal also noted significance of the site in view of ongoing revival of Badkhal Lake, which dried up in 2002. The rejuvenation project aims at restoring the lake’s water retention capacity and recharging it with treated water from a 10 MLD sewage treatment plant. Lake-bed treatment, bund strengthening, and lake-front development are also part of the project.TOI had reported that excavation at the site had been under way for two days and that around 500 metric tonnes of stones had been mined. The forest department had objected to the mining department’s approval for the disposal of 500 metric tonnes of stone excavated from protected Aravali land, stating that neither excavation nor removal can be permitted without its clearance. In a letter to the district mining officer, the Faridabad deputy conservator of forests said the mining department had granted permission on Aug 17 to dispose of stone from the forest land in Badkhal.NGT also referred to earlier TOI reports on illegal mining and other activities in the Aravalis. These included excavation of around 6,000 metric tonnes of stones from hillocks in Rava, Nuh, blasting in the area and construction of an illegal road in Basai Meo.The tribunal registered the matter while exercising its suo motu jurisdiction, which Supreme Court has recognised in Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai vs Ankita Sinha & Others, the order said.
