In a fresh twist to the controversy over grant of permission to Bharti Land Limited to cut hundreds of trees on a 52-acre land in Sarai Khawaja village in Faridabad this past month for a group housing project, a letter written by Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Gurugram, has surfaced accusing Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Forest and Wildlife, of putting pressure on him to mark Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) area as non-forest and threatening him of dire consequences.
In the letter addressed to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests P.P. Bhojvaid, the Conservator of Forests (Wildlife, Gurugram) Vinod Kumar, has accused ACS, Forest and Wildlife, S.K. Gulati of putting pressure on him to consider areas marked as open/dense scrub or scattered wooded trees in Survey of India (SoI) map as non-forest and allegedly warning him of suspension and serious consequences if he did not comply with his directions.
‘Transfer threat’
“He also said that he would cancel my recent order as CF, Gurgaon, Wildlife and would call me back to Panchkula till the assigned job was completed in the manner he wanted,” the letter, dated June 23, read.
Referring to a meeting with Mr. Gulati at Van Bhawan in Panchkula on June 22, Mr. Kumar, in his letter, wrote: “The ACS insisted me to write that Bharti realtor land in Sarai Khwaja, Faridabad, was not a forest as per 1980 status on the basis of Survey of India (SoI) map overlaid with realtor’s land boundaries... I did not agree, he was furious over this and threatened me with dire consequences... It is pertinent to mention that matter regarding this case is sub-judice with National Green Tribunal and asking for such biased report by oral order without giving time to department is beyond my comprehension,” said the letter.
The permission had been granted to Bharti Reality Land on June 23 to cut trees in Sarai Khawaja despite objections by the forest officials from Gurugram Division.
‘Continuous pressure’
Earlier, a letter by Divisional Forest Officer, Faridabad, Renjitha M.H. to Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had also accused Mr. Gulati of “continuous pressure” in the discharge of her statutory functions in power vested in her under PLPA, 1900.
“I was abused with words like 'bloody fool', being 'crooked' etc. by Mr. Gulati over the phone. I was also told that I would not be 'spared' and 'would be made to pay',” said the letter by Ms. Renjitha, dated July 5.
Forest status
Even though the land in question does not fall under the Aravalli project plantation and is not notified under Section 4 and 5 of PLPA, 1900, and thus not under any categorv of recorded forests, but, according to the forest department officials, it falls within the dictionary meaning of forests in the light of Godavarman judgment of the Supreme Court.
A list of such deemed forest areas in Faridabad, which includes the said land, a Gair mumkin pahar area, was sent to a committee constituted in November 2015 as per the SC orders in Lafarge case for the identification of forests.
Mr. Gulati, told The Hindu over the phone that some officers in the forest department were holding the government to ransom and not allowing any development in this region, but they were now “exposed” as the land was not forest as per the SoI maps and the officers were making baseless allegations. Mr. Bhojvaid refused to comment on the matter.
