Forest Department Takes Action After Discovering Fresh Violations in Aravalis
The Haryana Forest Department has officially filed a report documenting new violations in the protected Aravali region. This action followed a recent inspection that revealed additional tree cutting in the sensitive Raisina hills area.
Increasing Tree Felling Count Prompts Official Response
Forest officials confirmed they discovered twenty-eight more trees had been cut down during their January 15 inspection. This finding comes after their earlier documentation of fifty-five trees felled during a September 2025 investigation. The total number of trees removed now stands at eighty-three according to official records.
Divisional Forest Officer Raj Kumar provided specific details about the department's response. "We revisited the area and found another twenty-eight trees were felled," Kumar stated. "We had already issued a forest offence report for a road carving case that counted fifty-five trees having been cut. After finding further tree felling on Thursday, we issued another FOR and increased surveillance in the area."
Protected Area Faces Ongoing Development Pressure
The Times of India recently reported that a new road approximately thirty meters wide has been carved into the protected Raisina hills. Their spot visit documented more than one hundred trees removed from the area. The Raisina hills fall under specific environmental protections established through the Aravali Notification of 1992.
This notification clearly restricts several activities in protected zones:
- Construction of buildings and boundary walls
- Road development without proper authorization
- Tree felling without explicit permission
Non-forest activities remain prohibited on land categorized as gair mumkin pahad or uncultivable hill areas. Construction work and electrification projects require statutory approvals before proceeding in these protected zones.
Visible Evidence of Environmental Damage
During the recent spot visit, clear signs of environmental disturbance were documented across the hillside. Observers found loose rock and excavated soil dumped along slopes. Large patches appeared freshly cleared with vegetation completely stripped from the ridge.
Multiple locations showed cut branches, tree stumps, and exposed roots. Fresh boundary walls and gates were also spotted at several sites, with construction activities continuing in various pockets of the protected area.
Longstanding Scrutiny and Enforcement Challenges
The Raisina hills have remained under legal scrutiny through ongoing tribunal proceedings. In 2024, the National Green Tribunal took suo motu cognizance of a previous Times of India report about illegal construction at Ansal's Aravali Retreat in Raisina. The tribunal issued notices to authorities and observed that rebuilding of razed structures represented a flagrant violation of its previous orders.
Back in December 2022, the NGT directed both Haryana and Rajasthan governments to establish a monitoring committee. The tribunal ordered periodic reviews, preferably quarterly, until encroachments are completely cleared from Aravali land spanning Gurgaon, Faridabad, Nuh, and Alwar districts. The chief secretaries of both states received instructions to ensure compliance with these directives.
A previous forest department survey had already identified hundreds of illegal farmhouses on Aravali land within Gurgaon district. These violations concentrate in specific pockets including Gwalpahari, Abheypur, Gairatpur Bas, Sohna, Raisina, and Manesar.
While demolition drives have occurred in Raisina, environmental advocates note that fresh road cutting and continuing vegetation clearance indicate enforcement remains challenging on the ground. The recent discoveries suggest ongoing pressure on protected forest land despite regulatory frameworks and previous enforcement actions.
