Rush Hour: Ex-foresters object to Aravalli Safari Park, podcaster’s joke sparks uproar and more

Thirty-seven retired forest officials have urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to cancel Haryana’s proposed Aravalli Safari Park, warning that it would cause ecological destruction. In a letter dated February 6 and shared with the press on Monday, they called for urgent efforts to restore the Aravalli mountain range that runs from Delhi to Gujarat.

Announced in 2022, the 10,000-acre safari project in Gurugram and Nuh would feature enclosures for exotic animals and big cats. Environmentalists say it would displace locals, introduce non-native species and violate conservation laws. The letter noted that the site falls under the legal definition of “forest,” making such development “illegal.”

The officials said the park aims to boost tourism, not conservation, and warned of increased traffic, groundwater depletion and a construction boom in the eco-sensitive region.

The government plans to fund the project using compensation for deforestation in Great Nicobar, where a Rs 75,000-crore development project threatens indigenous communities and tropical forests. Experts have raised concerns about its environmental impact. Read on.

Can a safari park outside Delhi make up for a lost Nicobar forest?

The Supreme Court has criticised the Gujarat Police for filing a case against Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi for a poem he posted on Instagram. The poem, Ae Khoon Ke Pyaase Meri Baat Suno (“Oh…

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