FOREST DEPT PAVES THE WAY FOR SHIFTING KHERKI DAULA TOLL PLAZA

GO-ahead 49 of 50acres in panchgaon are for agricultural use, ruler forest dept; clearance this week                                                                                                                      

GURUGRAM: Land clearance from the forest department for 49 of 50 acres in Panchgaon-for shifting the toll plaza from Kherki Daula – is likely this week, officials said.                                                   

    A committee of forest officials, constituted in November for determining the land jurisdiction, said that the land allotted for the toll plaza is agricultural land and doesn’t come under their purview.                                           

     The development follows the directions of the Punjab and Haryana high court in October, when it allowed the Haryana State Industrial and infrastructure development corporation (HSIIDC) to take control of the land for setting up the toll plaza.

  The committee will submit its report to the forest department this week, Stating that the land being in Panchgaon doesn’t come under the wildlife protection Act or the forest Conservation   Act.

   Subhash Yadav , district forest officer, said, “the report has not been finalized yet. A meeting took place on Monday in Chandigarh, wherein everyone came to the conclusion that the land where the toll plaza is to be made in Panchgaon doesn’t come under our control. The land is not covered under the Forest Conservation Act.”                                                                                                                                                                

  The committee, after a detailed study, found that of the 50 acres in question, one acre is covered under the forest conservation Act and cannot be used for development purposes.                                         

 “A minor area of one acre is coming under the forest department. We have pointed out that no construction activity can take place on that one acre. We will give forest clearance for 49 of 50 acres land in question this week,’’ said Yadav.                                                                                                                     

  A senior forest official, who is part of the committee, also confirmed that the land in Panchgaon doesn’t come under the forest area.

 “The land that is being given away is not with the forest,” the high- ranking forest department official said, on condition of anonymity.

  Meanwhile, HSIIDC officials said that all formalities have been completed and as soon as they get a clearance from the forest department, the letter of handover for Panchgaon land will be given to the Gurugram Metropolitan Department (GMDA). HSIIDC officials said that they are ready with the handover letter.

  Narhari   Banger, managing director, HSIIDC, said, ‘’We are ready with our paperwork and are only waiting for the forest clearance to be given. If we get the go-ahead, we’ll give the handover letter to the GMDA immediately.’’

  Officials of the National highways Authority of india (NHAI), said that they will set up the toll plaza within a few months after the land is transferred.

The highway department has made all drawings for the toll plaza in Panchgaon. ‘’Our planning has been done & maps are with us. The Moment we get land, which is free from any issue, we’ll start construction of the toll plaza, ”a senior NHAI official said.

  Farmers in Panchgaon  are seeking the land compensation be paid as soon as the land transfer is complete. As the case ‘fertile land users (farmers) vs union of india’ field in 2014 is still in court, they were not able to sell their land.

   Krishan fauji, a resident of Kukrela, ‘’ with this case going on, none of the farmers could sell their land. We had a chunk of land but no buyers. Most of us took loans for our Kids’ studies and weddings.’’

   Removal of the Kherki Daula toll is a longstanding demand of residents of Gurugram’s newer sectors and commuters who get stuck in traffic jams at the toll plaza for more than an hour every day, since this toll came up in 2014.

    In 2017, Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for road, transport and highways, had announced that the Kherki Daula toil would be shifted from its current location.

   At present, 1,128 acres in Panchgaon are stuck in litigation, before the high court paved the way for 50 acres to be used for shifting the toll plaza.