Students pick Aravallis their Valentine

Tribune News Service

Gurugram, February 14

Students from across the NCR have declared the Aravallis as their Valentine and shot off a letter to Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar seeking its conservation.

“Respected Chief Minister, a very happy last green Valentine’s Day! This is a plea from an unborn child, a pregnant woman, little children, teenagers, adults and ailing people. Please don’t destroy our Aravallis. The future of your family as well as ours is in grave danger. We don’t need development at the cost of our trees. Please save our Aravalli forests,” read the letter in the form of an eco-friendly card.

The formal petition signed by students and adults was given at the Chief Minister’s desk. A file number to track it was given back to students with the receiving note.

“We wanted to convey that our future is at stake. We love our Aravallis and will not allow our forests to be destroyed in the name of development. Aravalli forests cover less than 10% of Gurugram and south Haryana and less than 2% of the entire state. We have written to Khattar that the Aravallis must be protected as a home for wildlife and for other critical environmental benefits these forests provide in terms of being the green lungs of the NCR, water recharge zone and our shield against desertification,” said Simran, a student of the College of Vocational Studies in Delhi who made the card.

“If the PLPA Amendment Bill is notified, 60,000 acres of Aravalli forests will be opened for construction. Additionally, at great risk of destruction are another 50,000 acres of Aravalli forests that do not have protection of any forest law. This means that effectively, the entire Aravalli range in south Haryana amounting to more than 1,10,000 acres will get impacted by this government move to implement the amended PLPA,” said Anuradha Prasad Dhawan, an Aravalli Bachao campaigner.