No car rally in Aravallis, organisers changes route

GURGAON: Amid the controversy over the over permission given by forest department for organising car rally in Aravalli, organiser of the event on Wednesday submitted before National Green Tribunal (NGT) for revising the route of the rally to exclude Aravalli. Now no car rally will take place in Aravallis.
NGT on Friday had issued notices to Haryana government, forest department, state pollution control board and the organiser of a car rally for granting permission for the four-day rally supposed to be held on a 30km forest track in the Gurgaon-Faridabad Aravalis.The rally was scheduled to be held from September 14 to 18.
A petition was filed in NGT by Lt Col (retd) Sarvadaman Singh Oberoi against holding the rally organised by Sports Route Trust alleging that it may disturb the wildlife in the forest.
The organiser submitted an affidavit before tribunal on Wednesday to inform about the change in route of the rally, following petition was dismissed by the tribunal. The route, according to organiser, was revised even before the forest department gave conditional permission for the rally after which the petition was filed in the NGT.
“The route was scrapped because it was not ideal to run the rally on this stretch,” said the organiser adding that instead of Aravalli now rally will pass through Kundali-Manear-Palwal (KMP) highway.
The petitioner had contended that the proposed location for the rally is an important habitat for leopards, hyena, jackals and other animals. He had submitted that this is the breeding season for leopards and other animals.
“It is good that Aravali was excluded from the rally route. The liner forest from Bandhwari to Damdama is last forest patch with good wildlife in the region,” said Oberai adding that Aravali hills act as a natural buffer to Asola Bhatti sanctuary and as a wildlife corridor between Asola and Sariska Tiger Reserve. He said Aravalli should be declared as sanctuary.
On September 9, TOI had reported that the deputy conservator of forests (DCF), Gurgaon had made it clear in a letter to organiser that forest officials were against any such rally. However, they were under pressure from senior officials to reconsider holding the event by imposing certain conditions on the organiser, like collecting a fee of Rs 5 lakh under the "polluter pays" principle and a bank guarantee of Rs 20 lakh.
The letter, dated August 29, said the DCF had denied permission for the rally on August 16 on the ground that the area is part of the "ecologically fragile Aravalis and a major wildlife habitat."