SC panel to look into Haryana’s zoo safari pitch in Aravallis

Issuing notice to the CEC, the bench, said, “We direct the CEC to submit its opinion through a report to be placed on record”

The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the central empowered committee (CEC) to examine Haryana’s proposal to set up a zoo safari in the Aravallis, making it clear that the project will proceed only if the expert body grants clearance.

The court was hearing a plea filed by five retired bureaucrats from Haryana, on whose petition it had on October 8, 2025, stayed further work on the project. (ANI)

The court was hearing a plea filed by five retired bureaucrats from Haryana, on whose petition it had on October 8, 2025, stayed further work on the project.

A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant said no expert opinion had so far been taken on the project’s feasibility. The court noted that the state government had submitted a draft detailed project report (DPR) to the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) in September last year without first obtaining any expert assessment.

Issuing notice to the CEC, the bench, which also included justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M Pancholi, said, “We direct the CEC to submit its opinion through a report to be placed on record.” The court continued its October 8 interim order staying the project.

Haryana additional advocate general Lokesh Singhal said the court had earlier expressed concerns over setting up a safari in “degraded forest land”. He referred to the Supreme Court’s March 2024 judgment on the Corbett tiger safari project at Pakhrau, where a committee had allowed the safari to operate alongside a rescue and rehabilitation centre. Singhal argued, however, that the Corbett ruling would not apply here. “That judgment will not be applicable to this case as this is a zoo safari and not tiger safari,” he said.

He told the court the project site in Mewat was a “degraded forest” where illegal mining had earlier taken place. “We consider that developing a zoo safari will activate the ponds in the area and protect forests. All we are requesting is that our DPR, pending with CZA, may be processed,” he said.

Senior advocate K Parmeshwar, assisting the court as amicus curiae, said the CEC may face difficulty because the project was still at an early stage. “The project is at the inception stage and we need to see whether this project itself is needed,” he said.

He added that three issues must be examined: the impact on the water table, the afforestation plan including tree species, and the source of animals.

The bench said, “CEC is an autonomous body. We want CEC to give us a free and independent opinion on the ecological damage to be caused and other environmental concerns. Suppose CEC says this cannot be done, the matter will end there. But suppose they say that with certain conditions it can be permitted, we will examine.”

Advocate Shibani Ghosh, appearing for the applicants, said the safari was being projected as a tourist project on forest land. “So long as the work does not start, we have no concern,” she said.

The petition was filed by five retired Indian Forest Service officers led by RP Balwan along with the NGO People for Aravallis. They claimed the proposed safari, initially spread over 10,000 acres, would be a “death knell” for the ecologically sensitive Aravalli ranges.

The plea said the project would involve large-scale permanent construction, including guest houses, staff quarters, animal enclosures, hotels, restaurants, recreational and commercial facilities, along with roads, power and communication networks and firefighting systems.

The Haryana government has since told the court that the project area has been reduced from 10,000 acres to about 3,300 acres.

It denied that the project was meant only to promote tourism, saying the Aravalli Safari Park would support eco-restoration of degraded land, wildlife conservation and research, promote eco-tourism, and generate jobs for local residents.

Under the project plan, 30% of the area will be used for animal enclosures and 70% will remain a green zone. “Instead of death knell, the project will be conservation initiative for Aravallis as the area will be closed with boundary wall and ecological restored with local species of flora,” the state said.

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