What are Aravalis' main threats? Greens give Centre, state report
Gurgaon: Based on what they say is ground observations made over a year of visits, a group of environmentalists has submitted their findings to the central and state govts, seeking urgent measures to protect the Aravalis.
Compiled as a 70-page report titled 'State of the Haryana Aravalis: Citizens' Report Part 1', the findings raise critical questions for water security, air quality and biodiversity of Delhi-NCR, which are intrinsically linked to the wellbeing of the Aravalis. Copies of the report were handed over to Union environment minister Bhupender Yadav and chief minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday.
Rampant violations like construction of illegal farmhouses, colonies and commercial establishments on protected Aravali land have repeatedly come under Supreme Court's scrutiny.
Last week, it rapped the state govt for an illegal road being laid at Basai Meo in Nuh with stones quarried from a hillock that led to its collapse.
The report contains four main demands – a legal declaration of the entire Haryana Aravali range as 'no-go zones' for mining and stone crushing, introduction of a law that treats destruction of Aravalis as an ecological crime punishable with strict penalties, including action against negligent officials, implementation of strict enforcement and ecological restoration measures, compensation for communities suffering from pollution and displacement, and a policy shift that requires the real estate and infrastructure sector to adopt construction materials other than Aravali-sourced stones.
Neelam Ahluwalia, founder member of People for Aravalis, the group that compiled the report, said, "We are hoping the demands for Aravali protection given in this report can act as a blueprint for govt to create and deliver policies and plans to protect what is left of India's oldest hill range. We hope our wildlife does not lose its home and our current and future generations can live with dignity without gasping for breath or being choked in the dust storms coming from Thar desert or fighting over water.
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Rajasthan-based water conservationist Dr Rajendra Singh said, "In 2009, Supreme Court banned mining completely in the Aravali hills in Gurgaon, Nuh and Faridabad. Time has now come to look at the 670km Aravali range spread across four states as one ecosystem critical for survival of millions of people living in north-west India."
The report illustrates how licenced mining and stone crushing units across the Haryana Aravalis flouted rules, and how illegal mining continues despite a 16-year-old ban.
It also states how out of the seven districts where the Aravalis are present in Haryana, licenced mining wiped out most of the range in Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri.
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