Gurgaon: The city’s first ‘nagar van’ (urban forest) is coming up in Ghata, with the first phase of the project likely to be complete by the end of this month. The forest department said fencing of the area — the van will be spread across 40 acres — is almost complete at a cost of Rs 1.5 crore. In the absence of a fence or boundary wall, trees were being felled illegally and squatters were encroaching on the land, officials said.
In the second phase, the forest department will set up signage, walking tracks and seating for visitors, apart from planting medicinal herbs in the area. The ‘nagar van’ aims to increase the green cover and improve the air quality in the region.
“We have almost completed fencing after removing encroachments from the area. We will finish the work by the end of Feb. In the second phase, we will work to improve the natural habitat. We will plant medicinal saplings and endemic fruit-bearing tree species like neem, beri, lasoora, bar and pipal. We will plant flowering species found in the Aravalis to spread awareness about them,” said Rajeev Tajyan, the divisional forest officer.
The Ghata jheel (lake) in the foothills of the Aravalis in Sector 58 was once one of the largest natural water bodies in the city. But the lake has shrunk considerably now.
Major wildlife species found in the Gurgaon Aravalis include wild boars, rabbits and jackals. To provide drinking water to the wild animals throughout the year, especially during summer, the department will also develop water bodies in the area. Grasslands will come up in some areas to provide the animals with feeding, hiding and breeding grounds.
With the aim of increasing the green cover in Haryana, the forest department had started work on nagar vans in Gurgaon, Palwal, Karnal and Panchkula in 2022. It plans to plant tree species that can remove harmful toxins from the environment to bring down air pollution levels in the region.
Haryana had received Rs 4.5 crore as the first instalment for this project from the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC), which will hand over the second instalment of Rs 1.9 crore later.
Each ‘nagar van’ covers 10 to 50 hectares of land. Meanwhile, a 33-hectare plot in Bir Ghaggar in Panchkula, another spread over 32.5 hectares in Karnal, and a 33-hectare land parcel in Palwal are also set to turn into urban forests.
A maximum of Rs 2 crore will be released for each ‘nagar van’ for fencing and plantation drive. The MoEFCC gives the grant in two instalments — 70% of the sanctioned fund is released after approval of the project and the rest after 60% of the released amount is spent.
According to a forest survey report released in Jan 2022, the city has lost nearly 2.5sqkm of forest cover, the highest in the state. The report by the Forest Survey of India also said that Haryana’s forest cover, on the other hand, increased by 1sqkm.
In the second phase, the forest department will set up signage, walking tracks and seating for visitors, apart from planting medicinal herbs in the area. The ‘nagar van’ aims to increase the green cover and improve the air quality in the region.
“We have almost completed fencing after removing encroachments from the area. We will finish the work by the end of Feb. In the second phase, we will work to improve the natural habitat. We will plant medicinal saplings and endemic fruit-bearing tree species like neem, beri, lasoora, bar and pipal. We will plant flowering species found in the Aravalis to spread awareness about them,” said Rajeev Tajyan, the divisional forest officer.
The Ghata jheel (lake) in the foothills of the Aravalis in Sector 58 was once one of the largest natural water bodies in the city. But the lake has shrunk considerably now.
Major wildlife species found in the Gurgaon Aravalis include wild boars, rabbits and jackals. To provide drinking water to the wild animals throughout the year, especially during summer, the department will also develop water bodies in the area. Grasslands will come up in some areas to provide the animals with feeding, hiding and breeding grounds.
With the aim of increasing the green cover in Haryana, the forest department had started work on nagar vans in Gurgaon, Palwal, Karnal and Panchkula in 2022. It plans to plant tree species that can remove harmful toxins from the environment to bring down air pollution levels in the region.
Haryana had received Rs 4.5 crore as the first instalment for this project from the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC), which will hand over the second instalment of Rs 1.9 crore later.
Each ‘nagar van’ covers 10 to 50 hectares of land. Meanwhile, a 33-hectare plot in Bir Ghaggar in Panchkula, another spread over 32.5 hectares in Karnal, and a 33-hectare land parcel in Palwal are also set to turn into urban forests.
A maximum of Rs 2 crore will be released for each ‘nagar van’ for fencing and plantation drive. The MoEFCC gives the grant in two instalments — 70% of the sanctioned fund is released after approval of the project and the rest after 60% of the released amount is spent.
According to a forest survey report released in Jan 2022, the city has lost nearly 2.5sqkm of forest cover, the highest in the state. The report by the Forest Survey of India also said that Haryana’s forest cover, on the other hand, increased by 1sqkm.