Times of India: New Delhi: Tuesday, April 29, 2014.
An RTI enquiry has revealed that the Prime
Minister's Office has taken note of the ecological importance of Mangar Bani
and adjoining areas and the repeated attempts by various agencies to avoid
conservation status for it. The PMO has written twice to the ministry of
environment and forests (MoEF), Haryana government and the NCR Planning Board
(NCRPB) asking for their comments on making Mangar a conservation reserve.
The PMO had enclosed an anonymous note where the
author has highlighted that Mangar is the "last true representation of
natural Aravalli forests near Delhi," and suggested that it be notified as
a "conservation reserve with community management." On January 7
2014, PMO had first sent the note to the agencies. They re-sent it on February
7, 2014 and said that "comments in the matter be expedited." In reply
to lawyer Rohit Choudhury's RTI application, the PMO has also enclosed the note
on Mangar, most likely from an environmentalist, which states that private land
owners in Mangar should be given an exit clause so that they sell their land to
the government and vacate the area. The area that is critical according to the
note is about 120 to 150 sqkm from Surajkund to Damdama. It suggests that all
of Aravallis in Haryana be treated as deemed forest as per earlier Supreme
Court judgements.
The PMO also wrote to secretary, urban development
on March 5 2014, about changes being made to the Regional Plan 2021 and
Regional Plan for Haryana warning them to take MoEF's comments before making any
changes.
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