Golf course road widening destroys green cover

Golf Course Road in Gurgaon has been left uncared for by the authorities concerned. Over the months, it has completely lost its green cover, thanks to the multi-crore road widening project being executed with public-private partnership. A drive along this road between Cyber City up to Sector 55-56 roundabout reflects the apathy of the departments which did not even think twice to seek permission from Forest Department for such destruction of foliage.

Union Forests Minister Jayanthi Natarajan had last week said that a tree with 60 cm girth takes 100 years to grow. "We cannot have compensatory afforestation," she had said. The widening is proposed between Sikanderpur and junction of Golf Course Extension road which is dotted with properties of a major city realtor on both the sides.

Urban experts, however, question that such a wide carriageway, without proper entry exit points and junctions like NH-8 on one end and the extension road on the other, will only act as a choke point. Meanwhile, permission to fell another 1,057 trees has been given while another 300 await nod for expansion of phase II of Rapid Metro.

According to a real estate giant, which recently transplanted over a dozen trees in its Golf Course, it costs Rs 50,000 to transplant a tree and ensure its survival. This is in stark contrast to the Rs 157 per tree fixed by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for transplantation.