Just over a month before the Haryana Assembly elections, a group of citizens and organisations in the state has urged candidates to commit to ending plans for a safari park in the Aravalli mountains that they allege would be environmentally detrimental.
The safari park is set to be built on forested land and in a wildlife corridor which houses leopards, sambar deer, hog deer and striped hyenas. The Haryana Tourism Corporation aims to import non-native exotic animals to recreate habitats for reptiles, birds, lions and an “underwater world.”
The commercialised park would include hotels, restaurants, children’s parks and a cable car, Scroll has reported previously.
Conservation biologist Neha Sinha told Scroll in April that the park would displace existing wildlife in the “last functioning Aravalli wildlife corridor”. Those who live near the land fear their homes will be demolished to make space for the park.
The project is being built using funds that Haryana will receive for compensatory afforestation for the Great Nicobar Island Development Project.
The safari is one of many concerns posed by People for Aravallis, an environmental advocacy group which consulted citizens in 17 Haryana districts. On Thursday, it published a “Green Manifesto” recommending legislation to ensure food and water security, combat air pollution and improve waste management.
For the manifesto, the advocacy group consulted members of environmental groups, domain experts in various fields, members of communities impacted by mining and pollution, teachers, lawyers, architects and, urban planners, among others.
One of its recommendations was that the Aravallis be identified as a “Critical Ecological Zone”, which would protect the area from demolition for projects like the safari, as well as from real estate, mining and landfills.
The members demand that local communities be involved in developing sacred forests, rejuvenating of ponds and common lands and planting native vegetation.
Haryana faces severe challenges related to deforestation, groundwater depletion and high climate risks. The Revised State Action Plan on Climate Change approved by the government in 2022 noted that only 3.62% of the state’s geographical area was under forest cover. The plan had flagged “increasing fragmentation in forest cover” as a challenge for the state.
People for Aravallis said that in this backdrop, there needs to be a “concerted effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, restore nature and create a climate resilient economy for the State of Haryana”.