Gurgaon: More than 6,000 trees have allegedly been axed in the ecologically sensitive Aravalis after the additional chief secretary (forest), in a written order, granted permission to clear the green cover spread across 52 acres of land.
According to local villagers, six earthmovers felled the trees to clear the land near a private university in Faridabad within a few hours. "The work started on Saturday night and by Sunday morning, they cut down around 6,000 trees," said a resident, requesting anonymity.
When this correspondent visited the spot on Sunday, apart from the earthmovers, some security guards, deployed by a real estate company, and metal barriers were also there to prevent anyone from entering the area.
On June 22, additional chief secretary S K Gulati issued a letter, allegedly instructing the principal chief conservator of forests to grant permission to a real estate company for felling mesquite trees even as a case is pending in the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
Sources claimed that the district forest office had apparently sought a revision of the order as the state government was yet to decide on the status of "gair mumkin pahar" (land unfit for cultivation). But Gulati allegedly pushed the matter to clear the green cover before the next hearing in the NGT on July 3.
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