People for Aravallis, a citizens’ and environmental group campaigning for the protection of the Aravalli mountain range, along with five retired Indian Forest Service (IFS) officers, on Thursday urged the Haryana government to cancel its proposed Aravalli Zoo Safari Project, calling it a “complete violation” of environmental protection principles.Earlier this month, the Supreme Court directed the State government not to proceed with the project until further orders. The court is hearing a petition filed jointly by the five former IFS officers and the People for Aravallis challenging the proposed safari park.“Until further orders, we direct that the State of Haryana shall not take further steps for the establishment of the Aravalli Zoo Safari Project,” the court’s October 8 order stated. Calling the proposed safari park “a death knell for the highly fragile and sensitive Aravalli ecosystem in Gurugram and Nuh districts”, the group said in a statement that the project prioritises “revenue generation and commercial activity” over ecological balance.“Our legal petition highlights how this project will undermine the ecology and hydrology of the Aravalli area,” the statement said, adding that the region’s environmental importance was being sacrificed for tourism and entertainment purposes. The group warned that the project would involve large-scale construction of permanent structures, including administrative buildings, animal enclosures, hotels, restaurants, roads, and a range of recreational facilities such as a botanical garden, aquarium, zip line, cable car, canopy safari, entertainment park, and safari club.“These kinds of facilities and structures, once developed, will cause extensive and irreversible damage to the already stressed Aravalli ecosystem and its rich floral and faunal diversity,” the statement read. The Haryana government’s ambitious project, spread across 3,858 hectares in Gurugram and Nuh, was one of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s poll promises last year and is envisioned as the world’s largest safari park. However, it has faced strong opposition from environmentalists and conservationists since its inception. Published - October 17, 2025 01:31 am IST