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From the Aravali ranges being cut into to make roads and highways, to the relentless mining activities, the environmental health of the whole state is at risk.
An uprooted tree at Dol Ka Badh forest in Jaipur, Rajasthan (photo:SNS)
Rajasthan has been, since time immemorial, one of India’s most unique biomes and hotspots for various species like the tiger, the great Indian bustard and many others. Despite its arid
landscape and relatively low rainfall, the desert state houses great biodiversity, which has made it a destination for many a discerning traveler and environmentalist.
However, the rampant development projects undertaken all across the nation have caused severe incalculable damage to various Rajasthani biodiversity areas. From the Aravali ranges being cut
into to make roads and highways, to the relentless mining activities, the environmental health of the whole state is at risk.
This brings us to the most recent step in the direction of environmental degradation — the plan to clear the entirety of the 100 acre ‘Dol Ka Badh’ forest in Jaipur. Located in the Taron Ki
Khoont region in the heart of Jaipur, this vital green lung and biodiversity haven, is being bulldozed to make way for an industrial and commercial complex. This complex will consist of a PM
Unity Mall, a Fintech Park, hotels, and a Rajasthan Mandapam.
The ‘Let Jaipur Breathe’ initiative was started by Shaurya Goyal along with others. Goyal also runs an Instagram page by the same name. The page has been instrumental in raising awareness
about this issue, gaining an upward of 8 thousand followers within four years. The page was set up in 2021, when the then – incumbent Congress initially planned this forest clearance.
BJP MP Diya Kumari, as recently as August 2023, expressed her support for the movement and even sent a delegation to meet with the protestors. However, once the BJP came to power in 2024,
and Kumari became the Deputy Chief Minister, she has reportedly been ignoring the public’s concerns since December of 2024.
The forest is teeming with biodiversity, and is home to: over 2,400 native trees, including Khejdi, more than 60 species of medicinal herbs, upward of 85 species of birds, and wildlife
including the nilgai, peacocks, rabbits, among other species that depend on this undisturbed habitat.
The many commenters on the Instagram page urge the protestors to file PILs, but there is a loophole which is being exploited by the developers – the land is being marked as “industrial land”
since the 1980s, giving RIICO (Rajasthan State Industrial Development and Investment Corporation) the legal authority to repurpose it. Unfortunately, the legal protections for naturally
occurring forests on revenue land remain weak in Rajasthan.
The movement, despite the alarming speed that RIICO is proceeding at, has strong on – ground supporters. The organisers of this movement have planned a cycle march on the 31st of May and a
human – chain formation on the 1st of June, both taking place in the vicinity of the forest land.
The organisers of the movement have two main demands – first, to convert the Dol Ka Badh forest into a protected biodiversity park and to relocate the RIICO development to a more suitable,
non-forest location, and second, to revise the master plan to use only the empty land for construction, and convert the green areas into a protected forest that also generates revenue
through eco-tourism and nature-based activities.
The ‘Let Jaipur Breathe’ organisers sat with the RIICO chief and planned out an entire proposal to make the Dol Ka Badh forest into a biodiversity park, even negotiating to the point where
they offered the developers the 40 acres of relatively barren land to build their proposed structures. But ultimately, they were rebuffed.