No trace yet of 51 forest check posts to be set up in Aravalli zone of Gurugram and Sohna in 2016

The Aravallis are intrinsic to the well-being of around 64 million people in the National Capital Region and act as a natural barrier between the NCR and the Thar

None of the 51 forest check posts to be set up in the Aravallis zone of Gurugram and Sohna in 2016 exist as of date, an HT investigation has found, underlining the vulnerability of the eco-sensitive region which has suffered irreversible damage over the years due to plunder by the illegal-mining mafia.

In January 2018, the government promised to set up a task force and 51 check posts to prevent exploitation of the area by the end of the year.

In December 2018, Gurugram-based environmentalist Vaishali Rana filed a right to information application, seeking information about these check posts, and the status of the Aravallis task force.

In its response in March 2019, the Haryana forest department said six check posts were functional — Gairatpur Baas village, Raisina Aravalli retreat, near Raisina village, Rojka Gujjar sectors 4 and 5, Kadarpur hilly area, and Ghamroj hills. HT has seen a copy of the RTI application and the forest department’s response.

Four years later, none of the six is functional as confirmed by HT’s spot check. After HT asked the Haryana government about this, Jawahar Yadav, officer on special duty (OSD) to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar promised that the posts would be set up again and the task force formed in the next few months.The 51 check posts were originally set up in 2016, but discontinued in 2017, as mentioned in a letter from the Haryana forest department to the principal chief conservator of forests Panchkula. “Since 2016, a network of forest check posts/nakas have been established in the Aravallis. The protection watchers from among local villages were engaged in these nakas. However, this system was discontinued since August 2017 due to the want of budget which would adversely affect the bio-diveristy and hydrology of the area. Therefore, it is proposed that the system of nakas and protection watchers is to be continued and revived,” the letter said. HT has seen a copy of it.

According to experts, the Aravallis are intrinsic to the well-being of around 64 million people in the National Capital Region (NCR). They act as a natural barrier between the NCR and the Thar, preventing the relentless march of the desert, a process termed desertification. It also acts as a massive groundwater recharging zone, and a biodiversity hot spot.Based on the information by the forest department, HT visited all six locations to check the status of the posts, and found that none of them exist any more.

Local residents said till five years ago, security staff used to come for patrolling, but all of these structures have now been abandoned and they lie decrepit and damaged.

Mohan Rathee, 55, a resident of Gairatpur Baas, said the check post near his village was removed six years ago, and forest officials visit the area only around once a week. “Illegal activities have grown in the area and every day, and at least 20 tractor trolleys carry stones illegally mined from the area. Despite our requests to officials to keep a check on the illegal activities, no one bothers to check the hillocks where mining is going on unabated.”

Mange Ram, 38, a resident of Raisina village, said: “There is no check here, forest officials visit once in a while to mark their attendance. There is no fear among the illegal miners. They know that there is no surveillance in the area and continue to mine stones in the area. The business has flourished in the last couple of years,” he said.

HT also spotted fresh truck tyre marks in the rocky terrain that showed that heavy vehicles were coming into the area to carry out the illegally mined stone in Raisina, Gairatpur Baas, Sohna, Kadarpur and Ghamroj.

Karambir Malik, Gurugram forest range officer, admitted that since 2018 there have been no check posts in the Aravalli. “The department had hired locals who were deployed at these posts but due to non-payment they left work. We are also short staffed and cannot put officials at check posts. Over the years, the remaining six posts — of the total 51 — have also dwindled”.Malik said the tents, cabins and other material used to set up the posts were stolen by unidentified miscreants.

Since 2018, local environmentalists have been demanding a dedicated Aravallis task force and drone monitoring of the region where illegal mining is being carried out. “We have been demanding this since 2018, but nothing has happened. The rapid deforestation and illegal activities are destroying the unique landscape that requires immediate attention,” said Rana.

Col Sarvadaman Oberoi, an activist who has been involved in several cases to protect the Aravallis, said that the desertification and land degradation Atlas-2021, released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) states that around 360,000 hectares or 8.2% of Haryana’s total land area has degraded between 2016-17 and 2018-19.“Desertification occurs when fertile land turns into a desert by losing its flora and fauna. Experts attribute desertification in the state of Haryana to mining and encroachments in the Aravallis which is leading to destruction of the Aravalli hills and loss of forests and green cover,” Oberoi said.“Hill after hill has been razed to the ground across the Aravalli range, and the resulting loss of vegetation and green cover means that there are fewer obstacles to stop wind erosion. Temperatures are also rising as our forest cover is declining,” said Oberoi.

Neelam Ahluwalia, co-founder of the Aravalli Bachao citizens’ movement, said the Aravallis are being ravaged and destroyed on account of illegal tree felling, mining and encroachments. “Deforestation is negatively impacting our right to breathe clean air, as well as affecting water security,” she said.

“Check points across the Aravalli range need to be increased — not reduced — to control these illegal activities, along with the use of drones for surveillance and monitoring of the area. Haryana has the lowest forest cover in the country, barely 3.6% against the national average of 21%, and consequently, cities with the highest air pollution and water stress. We have been repeatedly asking the government to increase the number of check posts and use drones at night and early morning to control the plunder of our pollution sink, barrier against desertification and critical water recharge zone. The lives of millions of people living in Haryana and India’s National Capital Region is at stake,” she said.

Jawahar Yadav, officer on special duty (OSD) to Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, said that they hold meetings with forest officials and will ensure check posts are set up again in Aravalli to curb illegal activities. “We will form an Aravalli Task Force within two months and regular patrolling will be done by the teams to ensure no illegal mining, poaching of wildlife/birds or cutting trees is carried out. We have also directed enforcement agencies to take prompt and strict action against people found indulged in these activities,” he said.

Assuring prompt action, Yadav said that they have directed the forest officials to send forest guards to certain locations inside the forests from where regular complaints are reported. “We will hold a joint meeting with environmentalists and the forest department this month to discuss preventive steps to stop illegal activities in Aravallis,” he said.