Compensatory afforestation must be within 10 km of where trees being cut: NGT

The National Green Tribunal said that the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had to find suitable land for “compensatory afforestation” closer to the place where trees were cut to build highways.

“The forest clearance is subject to (the) requirement of afforestation within 10 km from the place from which trees are cut. It will be the responsibility of the PP (project proponent) to find suitable land, subject to the approval of the Forest Department for this purpose. If this mandatory condition is not followed up, the PP will not be allowed to proceed with the project,” the Tribunal said.

The Principal Bench of the Tribunal, headed by its chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, was hearing a petition about the cutting of trees by NHAI to build highways in Haryana.

An appeal was filed in the NGT against the forest clearance granted for the project on the Gurgaon-Pataudi-Rewari section of the highway, on the grounds that the site where “compensatory afforestation” is being done is 300 km away from the site where trees are being felled, and that “such plantation is no compensation.”

“The PP (NHAI) may plan afforestation along the roadside in all its future projects at the planning stage itself, creating a strip with appropriate width of plantation to offset road dust pollution,” the order said.

Forest clearance was granted for 36.14 hectare in the Gurgaon division and 10.94 hectare in the Rewari division. Permission was granted for the felling of 8,373 trees and 3,948 plants in Gurgaon and 4,049 trees and 4,137 plants in Rewari.

Earlier, the NGT constituted a joint committee and sought a report. The committee, in its report, said that compensatory afforestation has been permitted 300 km away from the location where trees are being cut.