Panels ready in April, but Haryana delays forest definition survey
GURUGRAM: Following the Supreme Court’s directive for all states and Union territories to define “forest” and identify such areas, Haryana has yet to conduct any surveys. This comes despite the establishment of expert committees by the state government in April. The issue — district and state-level committees are unable to commence their tasks until the state finalizes its definition of “forest” based on dictionary meaning, stalling the entire process. In April, the Haryana government appointed a state-level expert committee led by the additional chief secretary (environment, forests & wildlife), including senior officials from various related departments. District-level committees, chaired by…