The two sisters, Savi and Bhavya, have cycled 300 km in 12 days, from Rajasthan’s Jaipur to New Delhi, to draw the PM’s attention to stop a 100-acre urban forest from being razed for the sake of urban expansion. The two girls, Savi Shekhawat, 13 years old, and her little sister Bhavya, who is only 7 years old, want to avoid deforestation in the Dol ka Badh in Jaipur. The sisters committed to meeting the Prime Minister, and the younger one also told us how they tried meeting the Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Bhajan Lal Sharma, but were stopped by police personnel.
They have stated that they would wait in Delhi unless the letter is delivered to the Prime Minister. Supported by a dozen people, including their parents, they began their journey from Taruchaya Nagar on 10th August and covered 25 km every day. The girls are a part of a larger group named ‘Save Dol ka Badh’, which has been active since 2021, and aims to save the forest in Central Jaipur. The natural forest is home to 2,400 indigenous trees and diverse fauna, including 85 varieties of birds. With the forest being cleared for a proposed PM Unity Mall, among other infrastructure, the diversity will be lost.
Savi, the elder sister, said that she walked in the forests with her father and later got to know about the plans and wanted to spread awareness about its importance, and ever since the constructions began this year, along with her sister, she decided to come to Delhi to ask for the PM’s help. The father of the duo has also commented on the issue and said that the movement was not just to save the trees but to save the future of their kids and the overall health of the city.
Razing forests for construction is not new, and earlier this year, a similar protest was held in Hyderabad, where the Kancha Gachibowli forest was being razed by the government. The topic goes deeper than just ensuring development or nature’s health, as it asks an important question of the balance between ecology and economy.
