Chandigarh, June 19: Less than a week after reports emerged of nearly 2,000 trees allegedly felled over 40 acres in the Aravallis for a proposed DLF real estate project, the Punjab and Haryana High Court on Thursday took suo motu cognisance of the issue and sought a status report within a week.
The Division Bench of Justice Anil Kshetarpal and Justice Aman Chaudhary issued notices to the State of Haryana, DLF Limited (through its Managing Director), and the Gurugram Municipal Corporation (through its Commissioner), while scheduling the matter for further hearing on June 26.
The court’s intervention came after Chief Justice Sheel Nagu took note of a report titled “DLF project sparks outcry in Aravallis, activists protest outside minister’s home” published in The Tribune on June 12. The article highlighted claims by environmental activists and local residents that the developer was “destroying the Aravallis,” prompting protests and official complaints.
During Thursday’s hearing, the Vacation Bench noted that the case was being treated as a writ petition, based on the published news report. Additional Advocate-General RKS Brar accepted the notice on behalf of the state. The Bench directed the state counsel to inform the Gurugram Municipal Corporation and submit a detailed status report within a week.
The news item cited serious environmental concerns, including potential harm to ecological balance and increased pollution levels. The Aravalli range is one of the oldest fold mountains in India and a critical ecological buffer for the National Capital Region (NCR).
Notably, Chief Justice Nagu has previously shown strong judicial concern for environmental preservation. In a similar case involving the proposed axing of 150 century-old trees in Sonepat, the Chief Justice-led Bench had remarked:
“We, the people, have suffered enough environmental degradation, and therefore, this court would not like to be a part of any further deterioration.”
The court’s move has rekindled hope among conservationists and locals for judicial intervention to halt the alleged environmental damage in the Aravallis.
