A group of students, many of them new voters, and others met Haryana Forest Minister Rao Narbir Singh on Sunday and handed over to him a petition objecting to the reported amendment to the Punjab Land Preservation Act (PLPA) proposed by his Ministry.
The students expressed concern, saying they were already severely affected by the poor air quality in Gurugram and Faridabad.
Class X student Aakriti Saha said, “Could you explain the logic behind amending the Act? The Aravallis have already been degraded and an amendment will lead to a drastic worsening of the situation and air pollution.”
Navya Mangal, a Class XI student, spoke of severe allergy that affected her after moving to Gurugram.
Mansha Bajaj, a Class XII student, spoke about the need to protect the Aravallis, as with an abysmal 3.59% land under forests, Haryana has the lowest forest cover in the country and is the most polluted.
Class XII student Kriti Bhatia requested the Minister to ensure balance between real estate development and the protection of the environment. The amendment of the PLPA would adversely affect this balance and the decision should be reconsidered by the government, she said.
Kriti Kakkar of Class XII, said that the amendment was difficult to defend when the water levels are falling by five feet every year. Pranit Jain, Class X, summed it up by reiterating that there was little logic behind the proposed amendment and that as their representative, the Minister should ensure a positive outcome in the interest of all citizens. The students are all members of Heritage Centre of Active Citizenship.
Forest analyst Chetan Aggarwal pointed out that the Aravalli hills cover less than 10% of Gurugram and that the remaining plain areas offer sufficient opportunities for real estate development and revenue gains for the government. The Aravallis can be protected without adverse effect on either, he said.
ENT surgeon Sarika Verma said one out of four children are nebulised daily and the needs of citizens who voted the government to power should be prioritised over that of the builders.
People wondered if the amendment was a way of getting rid of the Supreme Court judgment that demanded the demolition of Kant Enclave in which many powerful people had invested.
In his reply, Mr. Singh said that the amendment would not worsen the environment. However, he agreed to take up the matter with Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar.
