Haryana government misses second deadline

The Haryana government has missed another deadline to submit a report of the ground-truthing (ground verification) exercise to delineate areas falling under the Aravalis Natural Conservation Zone (NCZ). The department had earlier committed to finish the exercise by January 31, then sought two months extension to complete it. However, in a response to an RTI query by activist AseemTakyar, the department said the exercise is yet to be completed. “The ground-truthing of NCZ pockets is still going on, and is yet to be finalised,” states the response to the RTI by Department of Town and Country Planning (DTCP). Many believe the ground-truthing report will help identify forests, thereby safeguarding the eco-fragile Aravalis.