Forest dept foils bid to install mobile tower in Aravalis
GURGAON: The forest department on Friday foiled yet another attempt to encroach land in the Aravalis — this time in Faridabad. Officials said armed goons tried to install an illegal mobile phone tower in Melwa Maharajpur area in the early hours of the day, but acting swiftly forest guards rushed to the spot and stopped the installation work.
“After a getting a tip off, our forest guards, reached the spot. They were surprised to find that the encroachers were all armed. Despite being unarmed, the forest officials put up a brave front and finally compelled the encroachers to leave the spot after a four-hour stand-off,” chief conservator of forests (Gurgaon circle) MD Sinha told TOI.
Sinha said the forest department has informed the police about the encroachment attempt and requested them to register an FIR against the accused. “We will not tolerate any such activity in the Aravalis and out forest guards will do their best to prevent any kind of encrachment bid in the forest area,” he said.
According to him, the area is protected under sections 4&5 of the Punjab and Haryana Land Protection Act, 1990, and any non-forest activity on land protected under the Act is prohibited as per a Supreme Court direction. “We have identified 11 illegal mobile towers in the forest area of Faridabad and we are going to raze them,” he said.
Stating the department will soon provide arms to its guards in Mewat area, Sinha said, “Protecting the Aravalis is becoming increasingly difficult. Forest guards need to be armed to take on such armed encroachers. I have also asked the Faridabad team to also apply for arms licences and send a proposal for purchasing guns.”
When contacted, Faridabad’s police commissioner Hanif Qureshi said, “We will look into the matter and take strict action against the accused involved in the alleged encroachment bid.”
Environmentalists said the cops should come forward and help the forest department in dealing with encroachment in the Aravalis. “Forest guards are not equipped to deal with such situations. Police should help forest officials in such cases,” said Jitendra Bhadana from NGO Save Aravalli.
