‘Suicidal’ for forests in Haryana, FCA Bill draws flak from activists

Gurugram, May 21

Calling the recently introduced the Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill 2023 suicidal for the state forests, environmentalists have demanded its withdrawal. In letters sent to the joint parliamentary committee, it has been highlighted that the Bill, in the current form, would expose 50,000 acres of the Aravallis to commercialisation.

The environmentalists have demanded major changes in the Bill seeking it to be more exclusive for forests in Haryana. While the state’s forest cover is a mere 3.62 per cent, the effective legally protected forest area is only about 2 per cent.

The Bill, introduced in the Lok Sabha on March 29 to amend the FCA, 1980, allegedly relaxes the regulatory safeguards of forests by diluting the requirements of forest clearances for vast tracts of land and activities that were previously regulated under the Principal Act and the Supreme Court direction in the TN Godavarman case (1996).

“Haryana has one of the lowest forest covers in the country and the highest air pollution and water stress. The FCA Amendment Bill, 2023, will open up 50,000 acres of Aravalli forests for real estate development and commercialisation since these forests have not yet been protected as “deemed forests” ,”says Neelam Ahluwalia, co-founder, Aravalli Bachao Citizens Movement.

Highlighting the findings of ‘The Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas-2021’, released by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the submission states that around 3.6 lakh hectares (8.2 per cent) of the state’s total land area had degraded and become more arid by 2018-19.

Bill must help conserve, not consume

The Bill, that will impact groves like the Mangar Bani, should instead aim at saving more forest cover. Over 10,000 acres of Aravallis in Gurugram and Nuh are already vulnerable and can be soon lost. The policy should be changed to conserve and not consume. — Sunil Hasrana, eco activist, mangar bani, Aravallis