The National Green Tribunal has sought a response from authorities, including the environment ministry, in a matter regarding the alleged auctioning of a portion of the protected Aravalli forest in Haryana.

The green panel was hearing a matter where it took suo motu (on its own) cognisance of a newspaper report alleging that after a part of the forest in the Mahendergarh district was declared protected, one-fourth of its land was auctioned for mining.

In its order passed on October 1, a bench of NGT Chairperson Justice Prakash Shrivastava noted the report according to which, on July 20, 2023, the Haryana Forest Department officially declared 506 acres of the Aravalli tract in Rajawas village as protected forest.

But on the same day, the mining department conducted an e-auction for 119.5 acres of the newly protected land, and later a company was awarded a 10-year lease to quarry stones.

"The article claims that the situation highlights a significant lapse in communication and coordination between the two departments, raising concerns about the protection of ecologically sensitive areas.

"Furthermore, it is asserted that mining in the forest area will harm the environment, disrupt local livelihoods, and affect groundwater recharge," said the bench also comprising judicial member Justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert members Afroz Ahmad and A Senthil Vel.

It said that the article "raised substantial issues" relating to compliance with provisions of the Forest Conservation Act and the Environment Protection Act.

The bench impleaded as parties or respondents several authorities, including the inspector general of forest, Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Haryana's principal chief conservator of forests, member secretaries of the Central Pollution Control Board and the Haryana State Pollution Control Board, and the district magistrate of Mahendragarh.

"Issue notice to the above respondents for filing their response/reply in the form of an affidavit before the tribunal at least one week before the next date of hearing (on January 28)," said the tribunal.

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