Punjab and Haryana High Court Refuses to Stop Tree Cutting in DLF Project

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has refused to grant an interim stay on tree cutting in DLF's Gurugram project. The court took up the matter after a newspaper report alleged that 2,000 trees were cut across 40 acres for a real estate development.

A Division Bench led by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry stated that DLF appears to have legitimate permissions for the project. "There is no question of any stay. We will take it up next week," the court said firmly. 

However, the court directed DLF to produce the original licenses granted by Haryana Town and Country Planning Department around 1995-96 for developing the project area. The court wants to examine these documents before making any final decision. The forest department informed the court that they had given conditional permission to cut 2,788 trees. Out of these, 1,623 are kikar trees (prosopis juliflora). The department also required DLF to transplant 79 trees, mainly peepal and bargad trees, considering their species and age.

As part of the conditions, DLF has been directed to plant 10 times the number of trees being cut - a process called "commensurate afforestation."

Retired professor Amita Singh, who sought intervention in the case, claimed 40,000 trees had been removed and requested appointment of a local commissioner to monitor the situation. She described it as a "fight between David and Goliath." The court warned the interveners about potential costs if their claims prove untrue. The case will be heard again on July 10.