The Times of India 31.08.2012
Haryana Urban Development Authority roads on forest land?
GURGAON: Construction work on master roads
inside Sector 42, which is now on in full swing, was once stalled by
none other than former conservator Dr R P Balwan. In other words, the
forest department had put an end to the construction at that time. However, one can clearly see the construction work going on in right
earnest during a drive down the HUDA master road 9/9A connecting
Faridabad-Gurgaon road to Golf Course Road. With 824 plots in
Sector 42, the work seemed long pending.
However, work on this stretch
was stalled once earlier by the intervention of former forest
conservator Dr R P Balwan during his tenure. When asked whether the Haryana Urban Development Authority
(HUDA) had obtained NOCs to initiate work on this land, an official
said that since the land was under their department, no such NOC was
required.
“The work was stalled once a few years ago by the
forest department but then since they did not give us any valid
explanation for it, we have resumed the work. The contract has been
allotted to a private contractor and falls under a Rs 13 crore
sanctioned project which caters to special repairs and construction of
master roads in the city, including MG Road and our existing 9/9A road
repair works also,” explained the official.
The road construction work,
which commenced in the middle of this year, is expected to be completed
by early next year. However, since all of Gurgaon is notified
under Section 4 and 5 of the Punjab Land Preservation Act 1900 (PLPA),
change of land use is prohibited.
Therefore, the only action initiated
by the forest department was to issue a handful of challans to the
private contractor for the felling of trees.“The land which
belongs to the forest is fenced. Beyond it, the land is notified under
Section 4 and 5 of the PLPA.
We have issued challans for chopping trees
without permission,” said a forest official. Attempts to reach R P
Balwan proved futile till the filing of this report.