The Uttarakhand Forest department on Monday issued a proposal to transfer 778 hectares of Rajaji National Park and Narendra Nagar Forest division to the Kumbh Mela Samiti in order to initiate ‘temporary’ construction for the Kumbh Mela scheduled in 2021.

Rajaji has a superb ecosystem laid in the Shivalik hills and on the opening of the enormous plains of Indo-Gangetic region, hence it represents various vegetation regions and forest kinds as Riverine, Mixed broad-leaf jungles, Chirpine forests and pasturelands full with grass.

It has got 23 mammals’ species and 315 avifauna species. The wildlife lover has the opportunity to view the herds of elephants wandering grandly in the forests and sometimes a royal Bengal tiger on his way by the high grasslands.

Apart from this it is home to jungle cat, leopard, yellow-throated Himalayan marten, Sambhar, barking deer, Cheetal, wild boar, Langur, sloth bear, monitor lizard, civet, python and king-cobra. Rajaji has rich birdlife as peafowl, Hornbill, jungle fowl, woodpecker, kingfishers, thrushes, warbler, parakeets, finch, barbet, Indian roller and oriola etc. In winters months a many ranges of attractive traveling birds come to Rajaji to play in River Ganges’s blue water which run through the national park.

If permission is given to hold Kumbh Mela in the national park it will have a devastating effect on the ecosystem. Huge number of endangered specificies may get wiped out and will cause an irreversible damage to the ecosystem.

Biodiversity and Environment is the foundation of Hinduism, we call earth as our mother. Kumbh Mela which is epitome of Hinduism cannot become destroyer of ecosystems.

We as Indians and as Hindus oppose use of Rajaji National park for Kumbha Mela and Petition Honorable Prime Minister of India Shri Narendra Modi to deny permission for the same.

Kumbh Mela should be held at a location which will have minimal environmental impact.