Gurugram citizen-activists unite to save Aravallis

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, January 19

Dressed in white, green activists from Delhi, Gurgaon and Faridabad took out a symbolic funeral procession to highlight the danger looming over the Aravalli forests.

Over 100 persons, including students and citizens from various walks of life, marched from Sikanderpur Metro Station to MG Road Metro Station and back raising slogans and holding placards of ‘Withdraw PLPA Amendment Bill’, ‘Aravalli Bachao’ and ‘Stop illegal constructions in our forests’.

Activist and ENT surgeon Dr Sarika Verma said the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) Amendment Bill signed by the Haryana Governor is the death knell for our forests. “If notified, 60,000 acres of PLPA-protected Aravalli forests and 10,000 acres of Shivalik forests near Chandigarh will be opened for real estate development. This amounts to a loss of 33% of our forests at a time when the state already has the lowest forest cover in India (3.62% as compared to the national average of 20%),” she said.

Citizen activist Vaishali Chandra Rana said the Aravallis were dying due to illegal felling of trees, encroachments and constructions. In the last two years, forest checkposts have been reduced by half and cases of illegal tree felling and encroachments have increased, she said. “We urge the Forest Department to start using drones bought in 2018 and increase surveillance. The government also needs to implement the shelved proposal to form an Aravalli Task Force to increase checkposts and forest guards patrolling the area,” she said.