Why in news?

The Supreme Court has ordered the Haryana government to not implement the amendments it made to the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA).

What is the PLP Act?

• All non-forest activities in and along the Aravali hills have, for long, been prohibited, to preserve the ecology of these mountains.
• The British had enacted a special law, the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), for this purpose way back in 1900.

• PLPA has now been diluted by the Haryana government.
• The amendments took away the forest status of large chunks of these hills and threw open them for commercial activities.

• These are areas under master plans of cities such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh, Mahendragarh and Rewari.
• The move would take away the protection offered to them under the PLP Act.

How significant are the Aravallis?

• The Aravallis is one of the world’s oldest mountain chains, and its ecological worth is immense.
• The 692-km Aravali range spans parts of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and Gujarat.

• The Aravallis serve as the lungs for the highly polluted National Capital Region (NCR).
• It hinders the dust-laden winds from Rajasthan to enter the NCR where the air quality is already fatally poor.
• It also plays a critical role in recharging the groundwater of the region around it.
• The mountains also act as a natural shield against the spread of the Thar Desert.
• Moreover, it is the source of origin of several rivers and rivulets, including Sabarmati, Luni, Chambal and Krishnavati.
• Besides, it is the catchment of lakes like Damdama, Dhauj, Badkhal and Surajkund.
• More importantly, it harbours rich biodiversity, hosting numerous species of plants, birds and animals.
• It is the corridor between Asola Bhatti sanctuary in Delhi and Sariska in Rajasthan for leopards, hyenas, jackals, mongoose and most other animals.

What are the concerns in the use?

• Large scale illegal encroachments and misuse of the Aravali forests for realty, mining and other commercial purposes are going on since the 1970s.
• The urbanisation has gradually encroached agricultural and forest lands as newer living and working spaces were developed.
• Lakhs of dwelling units, commercial buildings and industries have already come up in this fragile mountainous track.
• Around 30% of the Aravali area falling in the Faridabad and Gurugram districts which are notified as protected forests under the PLPA now stands privatised.
• The Haryana portion of the Aravali range remains the country’s most degraded forest, as per a Wildlife Institute of India study.
• The rapid and unabated deforestation and development activities are further damaging this unique landscape.
• As many as 31 out of the 128 hills in the Rajasthan portion of the Aravallis have totally disappeared, flattened by the land and mining mafias.

What lies ahead?

• The obvious motive behind the amendment of the statute is to legitimise the illegal encroachments and misuse of the Aravalli forests.
• Haryana has the lowest forest cover in the country, barely 3.59%.
• So any action that would further curtail the forested land is inadvisable.
• Haryana government should comply with the apex court's order and withdraw the amendment to the PLPA.
• It would go a long way if it takes positive action to protect and rejuvenate the forest cover of the Aravalli hills.