To save Aravallis, Ggn children hold unique protest

Gurugram: Residents of Gurugram are leaving no stone unturned to save its green lung. And now, innovative protests, organised by children, are taking place at the Aravalli biodiversity park.

On Children's Day, which was celebrated on Wednesday, over 5,000 school children gathered at the 350-acre park to protest against the proposed construction of a bypass through the park by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI).

There are also claims that the Haryana government may use the green space to set up a Science City, a proposal which have citizens have rejected.

Prior to Wednesday's protest, various groups have held unique protest at the Aravallis to protest against unchecked development. From organising plays to dance activities, people are adopting innovative means to raise their protests in the public.

Often considered a retreat by residents escaping the urban bustle, the Aravallis has off late seen a surge of new visitors. Recently, a painting and a photography exhibition was held at the park, where participants showcased the environmentally beneficial aspects of the biodiversity park.

The delay by the Gurugram authorities in declaring the park as a forest may result in NHAI damaging parts of the park by constructing a bypass through it.

Technically, the Aravallis are labelled by the Haryana government as 'gair mumkin pahad' – i.e. 'uncultivable hill' which cannot be held, occupied or used for agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, and poultry farming, among others. As a result, authorities can use it for development.

Ten years of continuous efforts by Gurugram citizens transformed the 300-acre parched land in the Aravallis into a biodiversity park, where 4,000 exotic species of flora are now thriving.

However, since 2010, there have been no plantations initiated by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram in the park. This responsibility has now been entrusted to private organisations.