Home / Environment / Mangar Bani: Sacred grove faces road dispute
Mangar Bani: Sacred grove faces road dispute
27 Oct
Summary
- Forest officer flagged road construction as unauthorized.
- Final report omitted concerns, citing no enforcement authority.
- Sacred grove paving could harm rare trees and wildlife habitats.
A constructed road within Gurgaon's Mangar Bani, an ecologically vital area in the Aravalis, has led to conflicting reports from the forest department. An initial draft report identified the paving as unauthorized, noting the absence of such a road in revenue records and highlighting the area's significant wildlife, including leopards and rusty-spotted cats. It warned that paving could negatively impact soil and animal habitats.
However, a subsequent report submitted to the National Green Tribunal (NGT) by the principal chief conservator of forests took a different stance. This final report omitted the earlier concerns, stating the department was not the enforcement authority for the road. The NGT had previously requested the department to ensure no illegal construction occurred in Mangar Bani, a zone designated as a no-construction area.
The paved road runs through a sacred grove known for its mature native dhau trees, some centuries old, and rich biodiversity. Conservationists fear the paving will disrupt wildlife movement and increase vehicular access. The status of such areas outside recorded forests is currently under assessment, following a Supreme Court judgment, with Haryana placing them in a 'status to be decided' category.
