The Hindu: Gurgaon: Saturday,
April 23, 2016.
The State has
proposed a 100 m ESZ along the boundary of the sanctuary.
Environment
activists have said that the proposed 100-m buffer zone in Gurgaon around Asola
Bhatti Sanctuary is grossly inadequate “as it leaves out vast Aravalli hill
areas”. They have demanded that Haryana declare a sister sanctuary or national
park contiguous to the sanctuary on the Haryana side in the contiguous Aravalli
hills of Gurgaon and Faridabad.
A reply to a
RTI application had recently revealed that the Haryana government has forwarded
a proposal to the Ministry of Environment, Forests and the Climate Change for
the demarcation of Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) on the side of Asola Bhatti Sanctuary.
The State government has proposed a 100-m ESZ along the boundary of the
sanctuary in Gurgaon and a 1-km ESZ in Faridabad, said the RTI reply.
Terming the
proposal as a mere “eyewash”, environmental analyst Chetan Agarwal told The
Hindu that Haryana should declare a sister sanctuary or national park
contiguous to Asola Bhatti Sanctuary as this would protect the catchments of
Badkhal, Damda Lake, Mangar Bani Sacred Grove, and ensure connectivity between
Asola in Delhi and Sariska in Rajasthan.
“Till that
happens, at least the entire Aravalli belt in Faridabad and Gurgaon districts
of Haryana, varying from approximately one km to 16 km in depth, must be
included in the eco-sensitive zone for Asola Bhatti Sanctuary,” he said.
Lt. Col
(retd.) S.S. Oberoi, an environment activist, said Delhi had already protected
the Aravalli hills in South-East Delhi by declaring a sanctuary, and was now
putting further restrictions in the private agricultural plain areas adjacent
to the Aravalli belt in the form of eco-sensitive zones which would not even
cover the contiguous areas. “The proposed ESZ belt on the Haryana side leaves
out numerous important ecological assets such as lakes, lake catchments, sacred
groves, wildlife habitats, and a groundwater recharge zone,” said Lt. Col.
(retd.) Oberoi.
The Aravalli
hills extend all the way from Asola Bhatti Sanctuary in Delhi, to Sariska
National Park in Rajasthan, via Faridabad, Gurgaon and Mewat districts. The
presence of leopards in Asola Sanctuary is a clear indication that they are
moving to Asola from the south and east sides. Also, Striped Hyena, Indian
Golden Jackal, Ruddy Mongoose, Small Indian Civet and Common Palm Civet,
Mongoose, Neelgai, etc., have presence in Aravallis. Several critically
endangered, near-endangered, and rare birds have been reported from the south
of Asola in Mangar.
The Mangar
Bani watershed and adjacent areas make up an important wildlife habitat with
sightings of rare birds, and leopards.
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