Gurgaon residents are planning to launch a signature campaign.
The plan of constructing a stretch of a six-lane bypass passing through Gurgaon's Aravali Biodiversity Park has become a major cause of concern for the residents of the city who say the project will harm the protected area. Today, thousands of protestors from all walks of life gathered at the park to stage a protest against the proposed project.
Around thousand strong, the protestors comprised of students, bird lovers, environmentalists and the residents of Gurgaon. Carrying placards with slogans like "Say No to NHAI" and "Save Aravali Biodiversity Park", they demanded protection of their right to clean air.
Environmentalists fear the noise that the bypass would bring to the park would disturb the bird species that require a quite environment.
"When you fragment the area, then the habitat is lost. So, the bird species that require peace and quiet will get disturbed. Also, the impact of the road is not 60 m, but 200 m on either side. So we have lost half the patch, half the linear length of the park," environmentalist Chetan Agarwal said.
The civil society of the city is planning to start a signature campaign to request Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar to push for the re-alignment of the road.
The bypass will impact about 10 acres of the biodiversity park land, officials said. The National Highway Authority Of India or NHAI that is building the highway would reportedly require a 1.5 km stretch of the park, with a width of about 30 metres.