Gurgaon:
It is not often that we hear of government officers making personal sacrifices to do their job, but for 26 years Indian forest officer Dr R P Balwan did just that.
Balwan, who was largely responsible for the mining ban in the Aravalis, has decided to take early retirement to rally the public to work for the environment.
"I told my government in clear terms that I am getting salary to protect Aravali hills and I will protect them come what may," said Balwan who was the Chief Conservator of Forests in Gurgaon.
But he has had to pay a heavy price -- twice in the past three years.
Balwan and his field staff were beaten by illegal miners, but instead of backing down the 1984 batch Forest Officer and his team began collecting high resolution satellite maps of the Aravali range marking each illegal farmhouse and mining activity.
Balwan's crackdown against encroachers and illegal miners was so effective in Gurgaon and Faridabad that the Haryana government tried to transfer him at least six occasions. But each time had to back down due to public outcry.
Early this month, his effort paid off when convinced by the pictures and mounting evidence the Supreme Court banned mining. The apex court ruled that irreversible damage had been caused to the environment.
And while Baba -- as Balwan is affectionately called by his colleagues -- has taken early retirement, he is clearly not giving up the fight.
"I want to fight with public power and see if public power is with me. I want to see and test that also and see if it works out," he said.
In his fight to save the Aravalis, Dr Balwan may have made some powerful enemies, but he has also won the love and respect of many others willing to stand and fight to save the Aravalis and the environment.