Protect the Aravalis

Allowing commercial activities is indefensible

By throwing open a sizeable part of the Aravali hills for commercial activities after amending the law that protected their forest cover, the Haryana government has not only disregarded the ominous ramifications of its move but has also blatantly flouted the Supreme Court’s injunctions against it. All non-forest activities in and along the Aravali hills have, for long, been barred to preserve the ecology of these mountains. The British had enacted a special law, the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA), for this purpose way back in 1900. This pragmatic statute has now been attenuated to take away the forest status