The Haryana government has chosen to bypass the ministry of environment and forests (MoEF) in order to have prime Aravalli forest land transferred to build a golf course.
Instead, they have submitted an application directly in the Supreme Court where they have shown 160 acres of Aravalli forest land to be “barren land”. This, they believe can be converted to build a golf course, waterways and an amusement park. The Aravalli forest stretch that the developers are eyeing is part of a 350 acre Aravalli forest stretch.
Environmentalist lawyer Ritwick Dutta believes the state government has deliberately adopted this policy of subterfuge because the Forest Conservation Act of the environment ministry categorically states that forest land cannot be diverted to non-forest purposes.
Mr Dutta believes, “The Haryana state government was caught in a bind because the environment ministry is not in favour of forest land being blatantly destroyed for recreational purposes, including creation of a golf course.”
At the same time in 2004, the Supreme Court has also given a clear directive warning that the Aravalli plantations were a forest and no mining or non-forestry activity could be undertaken without permission.
Sources in the Hooda government are hoping that once the Central Empowered Committee of the Supreme Court has okayed the project against compensation, the environment ministry will be forced to follow suit. But environment minister Jayanti Natarajan has made it clear that under the FCA, she is not in favour of prime forest land being diverted for golf course. DLF, the developers of this project, have refused to comment claiming the matter is sub-judice.
Incidentally, the state government has drawn up a fresh plan to revive mining in the ravaged Aravalli hills.