The National Green Tribunal’s Principal Bench in New Delhi has taken suo motu cognizance of a news report highlighting the sale of a portion of the Aravalli forest in Haryana’s Mahendergarh district for mining.
The forest department had declared 506 acres of the Aravalli tract in Rajawas village as a ‘protected forest’ under the Forest (Conservation) Act, only to have one-fourth of the land auctioned off for mining on the same day.
The mining department conducted an e-auction for 119.5 acres of the newly protected land, with a company winning the bid and securing a 10-year lease to quarry stones and operate three stone crushers.
However, forest officials claim that no No-Objection Certificate was granted for mining in the protected area, and thus, mining should not proceed.
The tribunal has raised concerns about the significant lapse in communication and coordination between the forest and mining departments, highlighting the potential harm to the environment, disruption of local livelihoods, and impact on groundwater recharge.
The matter also raises substantial issues related to compliance with the Forest Conservation Act, 1980, and the Environment Protection Act, 1980.
The Principal Bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava, Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi, Dr. A. Senthil Vel and Dr. Afroz Ahamd has impleaded several respondents, including:
– Inspector General of Forest, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
– Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Haryana
– Haryana State Pollution Control Board
– Central Pollution Control Board
– District Magistrate, Mahendergarh
These respondents have been directed to file their responses in the form of affidavits before the tribunal by January 21, 2025.
The next hearing is scheduled for January 28, 2025.