NGT sent notice to agencies and  government bodies over flats on forest land in DLF-3

Hearing a plea, The National Green Tribunal asked state and district authorities to respond regarding the petition alleging that the luxury apartment complex in DLF-3 was built by illegally diverting forest land.

The NGT bench of justice Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Afroz Ahmad gave the forest department, pollution department, HSVP, Gurugram administration, Haryana chief secretary, and the project developer time to two months to file their responses by taking up the petition on December 19. The tribunal will next take up the plea on March 13.

Retired Gurugram forest officer Rajinder Krishan Sharma and city resident Pawan Kumar Bansal filed a petition to NGT, alleging that a forest land of an area of 4,484 sqm was diverted to build Ambience Island Lagoon Apartments in Sikanderpur-Nathupur Bundh, 2008, in defiance of the Forest Conservation Act, 1980. The land was allotted to the developer in 2007.

The petitioners have asked NGT to declare the project illegal, seeking to stop any future construction. The pleas directing the developer to pay environmental compensation in addition to the CBI investigation find out how the construction was allowed without repercussions. 

The plea also comprises a case that was initiated by the forest department in 2008 against the builder for diverting forest land. It noted that the case was revoked from the special environmental court (Faridabad) in 2017, considering that no forest land was involved. 

All respondents are required to file their response or reply to the allegations made in the application within two months said the NGT bench after hearing the allegations. 

On Tuesday forest department officials said that they are working on the response and would submit old maps of Nathupur Bundh. A forest official said that it’s upon the court to decide if there any norms were violated.

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