Yesterday morning (Sunday, October 28, 2018) I joined 1500 people at the Aravali Bio Diversity Park in Gurgaon to register citizen protest against attempt to build a national highway across the park. It was heart breaking and inspiring at the same time. I find it distressing how callous our authorities can be in making decisions that would kill a landmark that means so much to Gurgaon. At the same time the spontaneous outpouring of citizen support is so heartening and shows that Gurgaon citizens really care for their city.
Aravali Bio Diversity Park is a young, man-made forest. Less than a decade back it was an unused quarry. A citizen’s group, Iamgurgaon took on the cause of converting it into a biodiversity park. Over years, many corporates have stepped in with funds and many volunteers with their tireless effort. Metamorphosis of this park has been nothing short of extraordinary. In few years if has transformed into a dense, green forest that is home to natural Aravali flora, 180+ species of birds and many animals. It is a favorite walking & cycling haunt for many Gurgaon citizens and hub for many social events.
There are many reasons why we absolutely must save the Aravali Bio Diversity Park and prevent the highway to be built cutting across it, but I will focus on two main ones:
We will be killing the ‘lungs’ of the city
Gurgaon is one of the most polluted cities of the world. Come November the city starts resembling a gas chamber. High pollution makes even simple activities like walking a health hazard, more than a few develop cough and breathing problems, and many citizens can be seen walking with face masks as if this were a scene from a holocaust movie!! Truly air pollution is one of the biggest challenges for Gurgaon threatening its future as a liveable city. Aravali Bio Diversity Park is a rare beacon of hope in such a desolate situation. It is one of the few dense green patches in the city. It is one of the lungs of the city that is a rich source of oxygen bringing much needed relief to a gasping city. I find it inconceivable that in midst of such a crisis we can consider killing the lungs of the city, threatening its future as a sustainable city.
We will be killing the ‘soul’ of the city
Gurgaon faces many challenges but one of the most inspiring aspects of the city is the spirit of citizen volunteering and participation. It is a young city that has brought together a host of high-quality professionals who really care for the city. There is no better example of this special Gurgaon spirit than the Aravali Bio Diversity Park. It is born out of an initiative by a citizen group but over years snowballed into a real citizen movement and an excellent example of collaboration between the public, corporate sector and administration. It has been a true labour of love with so many volunteers contributing so selflessly. Funding has come from companies, perhaps most significant companies in Gurgaon would have contributed in some way. I fondly recalls that when I was in Fidelity, our annual tree plantation drives at Aravali Bio Diversity Park used to such joyous events, not just about doing good but also great team events. And, finally local administration led by Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) has also played a helpful role. In this partnership of public-corporates-administration lies the future of our cities. The problems that our cities face are so acute that no government can solve it themselves, and collaboration amongst multiple groups is the only answer. Aravali Bio Diversity Park is such a wonderful example of this collaboration. It gives us hope, an example of magic that can created if positively motivated citizens, corporates and administration can align forces and collaborate. That is why I see Aravali Bio Diversity Park as the “soul” of Gurgaon, representing the best of our intent and actions, and what this city can be. Again, I find it inconceivable how we can consider destroying our city’s “soul’, one of the few examples of positive collective action in the city.
As a Gurgaon citizen I feel great sense of ownership and pride in the Aravali Bio Diversity Park. It is one of the reasons I like this city and believe in the city. I appeal to the National Highways Authority (NHAI) and various state and central government bodies involved to not go ahead with this disastrous idea of building a highway across our young forest and killing it. We have to save the Aravali Bio Diversity Park and I am sure in coming days and weeks there will be a groundswell of support of it. I appeal to the concerned authorities to make the right decisions proactively rather than it becoming an avoidable battle between the government and citizen groups. Aravali Bio Diversity is both the “lungs” and “soul” of Gurgaon and should be owned and celebrated by all. We need to create more such positive examples as a city and country rather than it becoming a point of battle.
Jai Hind!!
