Land allotment for fuel station on forestland illegal: National Green tribunal

Sanjay Yadav

Gurugram, February 16

Taking a stern stand on the allocation of land for a petrol pump in the Chakkarpur forest area, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) has declared the development illegal.

It has directed the Gurugram Deputy Commissioner and Divisional Forest Officer to take action as per the law and submit an action taken report within two months.

“The site is part of a forest and in terms of a decision of the Supreme Court, it cannot be used for non-forest purposes. The retail outlet of Indian Oil Corporation Limited cannot be set up on the said site,” said the NGT in its order dated February 9 after a complaint by Manav Awaaj, an NGO.

The MC had in 2019 allotted 1,500 square metres in Chakkarpur village of Phase 1 in DLF, which was part of the protected forest area, for a petrol pump, said Abhay Jain, convener of the NGO. Despite objections, the Haryana Government did not cancel the allotment, after which the NGO approached the NGT.

“In spite of the stand of the Forest Department, the MC has failed to take remedial action to enforce the law. Use of forest land for non-forest purposes is in violation of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change notification with regard to the Aravalli range,” observed the three-member principal bench in Delhi headed by Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, chairperson of the NGT.