Aravallis missing from poll rhetoric this time

Bijendra Ahlawat

Tribune News Service

Faridabad, October 15

With candidates making a slew of promises such as jobs for the youth, farm loan waiver, interest-free loans and increase of old-age pension to Rs5,100, Faridabad residents have one question for them: Why aren’t nominees talking about ecological and environmental concerns?

Air quality of the city gets worse during the winters because of illegal construction and mining in the Surajkund area of Aravalli forest.

The seriousness, or the lack of it, of political parties towards the issue can be gauged from the manifestos of both the BJP and Congress. Forest conservation and eco-sensitive belt of Aravallis is missing from their manifestos.

“I have not heard any candidate or leader taking up the issue of pollution and environment so far. No candidate is taking responsibility. They are engaging in blame game,” said Satinder Singh, a retired defence service personnel residing in Sector 86 here.

Jitender Bhadana, an activist associated with NGO Save Aravallis, said “We have written to contestants of several parties, requesting them to promise an action plan to conserve the Aravalli forest area, but none of them have responded so far.”

He alleged the authorities had been hell bent upon constructing an abattoir and a waste dumping site near Pali village located in the eco-sensitive forest belt.

LN Parashar, who filed a petition in the Supreme Court recently, said: “Hundreds of illegal constructions have come up in the region in the past one decade. The authorities have failed to take action against the land and mining mafia at the behest of the politicians.”

The apex court had, in August, issued a notice to the authorities in connection with the alleged delay in the demolition of illegal constructions in the forest area, he added.