Gurugram: On Friday, the Haryana Forest department asked the Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP) and civic agencies to take action against 110 illegal constructions, including houses, farmhouses, and other real estate projects, that have appeared in the prohibited 5-kilometer-long eco-sensitive zone surrounding the Sultanpur bird sanctuary, officials said.
In a meeting with representatives from the district administration, the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority, and the DTCP on Friday, Anand Mohan Sharan, additional chief secretary, department of environment, forest, and wildlife, ordered officials to pursue legal action against the violators. Illegal development in the limited region will not be allowed, he declared.
The Sultanpur National Park, which was named a Ramsar site in 2023, has a 5-kilometer radius surrounding it where construction and other non-forest activities are prohibited or limited. This area, known as the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), serves as a buffer to safeguard the sanctuary and wetland.
According to a senior government official with knowledge of the situation, the forest department has identified 110 locations where unlawful building has taken place, and a list of these locations has been distributed. These locations include homes, businesses, farmhouses, and even real estate developments that were created with approval from the appropriate authorities.
During the discussion, it was decided to seek legal action against the plot owners under the Forest Act in the municipal court of Gurugram, even though construction on some of the projects has been halted. He declared, “We will soon take action against those who constructed illegally.”
Ten real estate developments, including an affordable housing project, have emerged within five kilometers of the eco-sensitive zone, according to the list provided by the forest department (HT has seen a copy of the list).
When questioned regarding the development of real estate projects in a restricted area, a senior official in the town and country planning department stated that the work on these projects was promptly halted once the forest department brought the issue to their attention. He declared, “We will take immediate action after receiving a list of the illegal construction sites.”
The Zonal Master Plan Provision and the Eco Sensitive Zone (Environmentally Sensitive Area) regulations are broken by construction activities within the designated border of the aforementioned location.Sultanpur National Park has been designated as a Ramsar site by the central government. In a statement released by the district administration, Sharan stated that no unauthorized development should take place inside the designated boundaries of the area in question.
