For a few decade, Gurgaon Utsav has been some of the greatest annual cultural occasions in the Millennium City. Over the ultimate eight years, the three-day cultural fiesta has been organised on the amphitheatre in the Aravalli Biodiversity Park. This year, then again, the pageant would possibly see a metamorphosis in venue. Last week, a bunch of environmentalists met officials from the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) to specific their objection to the park website hosting Gurgaon Utsav. Their argument was once that because the Aravalli Biodiversity Park is a deemed wooded area, there will have to be no concretisation and no musical nights there. Officials of MCG – which supports the pageant – say they're now taking a look at alternative venues for the pageant. This additionally signifies that the pageant may well be postponed from its these days scheduled dates of March 15-17. Gurgaon Utsav is organised by a not-for-profit organisation known as the Art and Literature Society, with the MCG providing administrative reinforce. This year’s edition is slated to carry to the Millennium City artists like Hans Raj Hans, Hari and Sukhmani, Parvathy Baul, and Mita Vashisht. Last week, environmentalists from Gurgaon-based NGO Haryali Welfare Society met MCG Commissioner Yashpal Yadav, asking for him to intrude and shift the utsav out of the Aravalli Biodiversity Park.
Gurgaon Utsav has been held every year on the amphitheatre in the Biodiversity Park
Vivek Kamboj, founder and director of the NGO, tells us, “We are not towards song and cultural celebrations however there are other puts in Gurgaon where this pageant can be held. If the development of a freeway reasons disturbance to the flora and fauna in the Biodiversity Park, a song tournament with speakers and amplifiers does so too. The strong floodlights, loud noises, and so much of human activity jeopardises the sensitive ecosystem of the Biodiversity Park and its flora and fauna. Also, the court docket has known as the biodiversity park a deemed wooded area, which means that any concretisation and such musical activity here's ethically mistaken.”
MCG Commissioner Yashpal Yadav referred the topic to relevant officials in the civic body. It was once this second meeting that bore fruit for the environmentalists. MCG Joint Commissioner Hari Om Attri, who met the environmentalists, says, “We have taken word of the objections raised by some electorate and activists about Gurgaon Utsav, and at the face of it, the objections appear genuine and legit. We are discussing and in addition speaking to the wooded area and flora and fauna departments, who are seeking to verify the facts. If found true, we can shift the development out of the Biodiversity Park and look for another venue.”
Organisers of the Gurgaon Utsav stay tight-lipped concerning the development, saying that the MCG will come to a decision the fest’s long term and venue and so they shall abide by the decision.
Activists have said that the amphitheatre in the Biodiversity Park is a violation of the Forest Conservation Act 1972 and Wildlife Protection Act 1980 that prohibit any non-forest actions there
In any case, even supposing the fest takes place on the Biodiversity Park this year, it may well be the ultimate time it's staged there. The activists have said that the amphitheatre in the Biodiversity Park itself is a violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1972 and Wildlife Protection Act, 1980 that prohibit any non-forest actions there. Sources from the MCG say senior officials are contemplating stopping all musical actions there. “Both the wooded area division and flora and fauna division are getting ready studies based on the allegations and we really feel it may well be best possible that in the future, the amphitheatre isn’t used for occasions like musical nights that may disturb the animal population there,” says an MCG professional who didn't want to be named.
Interestingly, the amphitheatre was once built in the Biodiversity Park after consultation with environmentalists and native residents. The Biodiversity Park was a stone quarry and was once restored to its present standing because the ‘inexperienced lung of Gurgaon’ by IAmGurgaon, a citizen’s collective, virtually a decade in the past. It was once right through this recovery in 2010 that the MCG built the amphitheatre in after consulting with IAmGurgaon. Latika Thukral, founder, IAmGurgaon, tells us, “When the amphitheatre was once conceived, it was once achieved close to the edge of the park, as close to the habitation as conceivable, in order that it didn’t disturb the ecosystem. The purpose was once never to be disruptive or hurt the flora and fauna or ecosystem of the park in any respect. We have and can all the time have the most productive interests of Gurgaon and the Biodiversity Park in our minds.”
Gurgaon Utsav has been held every year on the amphitheatre in the Biodiversity Park
Vivek Kamboj, founder and director of the NGO, tells us, “We are not towards song and cultural celebrations however there are other puts in Gurgaon where this pageant can be held. If the development of a freeway reasons disturbance to the flora and fauna in the Biodiversity Park, a song tournament with speakers and amplifiers does so too. The strong floodlights, loud noises, and so much of human activity jeopardises the sensitive ecosystem of the Biodiversity Park and its flora and fauna. Also, the court docket has known as the biodiversity park a deemed wooded area, which means that any concretisation and such musical activity here's ethically mistaken.”
MCG Commissioner Yashpal Yadav referred the topic to relevant officials in the civic body. It was once this second meeting that bore fruit for the environmentalists. MCG Joint Commissioner Hari Om Attri, who met the environmentalists, says, “We have taken word of the objections raised by some electorate and activists about Gurgaon Utsav, and at the face of it, the objections appear genuine and legit. We are discussing and in addition speaking to the wooded area and flora and fauna departments, who are seeking to verify the facts. If found true, we can shift the development out of the Biodiversity Park and look for another venue.”
Organisers of the Gurgaon Utsav stay tight-lipped concerning the development, saying that the MCG will come to a decision the fest’s long term and venue and so they shall abide by the decision.
Activists have said that the amphitheatre in the Biodiversity Park is a violation of the Forest Conservation Act 1972 and Wildlife Protection Act 1980 that prohibit any non-forest actions there
In any case, even supposing the fest takes place on the Biodiversity Park this year, it may well be the ultimate time it's staged there. The activists have said that the amphitheatre in the Biodiversity Park itself is a violation of the Forest Conservation Act, 1972 and Wildlife Protection Act, 1980 that prohibit any non-forest actions there. Sources from the MCG say senior officials are contemplating stopping all musical actions there. “Both the wooded area division and flora and fauna division are getting ready studies based on the allegations and we really feel it may well be best possible that in the future, the amphitheatre isn’t used for occasions like musical nights that may disturb the animal population there,” says an MCG professional who didn't want to be named.
Interestingly, the amphitheatre was once built in the Biodiversity Park after consultation with environmentalists and native residents. The Biodiversity Park was a stone quarry and was once restored to its present standing because the ‘inexperienced lung of Gurgaon’ by IAmGurgaon, a citizen’s collective, virtually a decade in the past. It was once right through this recovery in 2010 that the MCG built the amphitheatre in after consulting with IAmGurgaon. Latika Thukral, founder, IAmGurgaon, tells us, “When the amphitheatre was once conceived, it was once achieved close to the edge of the park, as close to the habitation as conceivable, in order that it didn’t disturb the ecosystem. The purpose was once never to be disruptive or hurt the flora and fauna or ecosystem of the park in any respect. We have and can all the time have the most productive interests of Gurgaon and the Biodiversity Park in our minds.”
MCG mulls moving Gurgaon Utsav out of Aravalli Biodiversity Park after protests by green activists
![MCG mulls moving Gurgaon Utsav out of Aravalli Biodiversity Park after protests by green activists]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
March 14, 2019
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