Various public groups and concerned citizens have come together to oppose the proposed felling of nearly 10,000 trees in a part of the Shivalik elephant reserve for the planned expansion of Dehradun airport.

Apart from an online petition which has garnered thousands of signatures, concerned citizens have planned to tie Raksha Sutra threads on

the trees in the Thano range on Sunday.

Meanwhile, registering its strong opposition to the tree felling plan, student activist group, Making a Difference by Being the Difference (MAD) pointed out that the draft Environmental Impact Assessment for the same was proposed by the project consultant falsely recording that no Schedule-I fauna has been reported in the area and that there is an absence of dense forest in the said area.

The group members also pointed out that the said expansion could land a fatal blow to the traditional moment of elephants from the western part of the State right up till the Tanakpur border with Nepal.

MAD has already registered a strong protest on the same issue in a meeting with the principal chief conservator of forest, Jai Raj and has handed over a representation to him.

The organisation is rallying with other sister organisations to create a moment to stop anything that fatally impacts the environmental balance of the already perturbed Doon Valley.

Pointing out that the 1989 notification letter and spirit tries to protect the environment and ecology of the Doon valley, MAD has announced its opposition to the project. 

MAD also plans to involve the Uttarakhand Biodiversity Board on the observation made by the project consultant of the airport expansion project, so as to get all agencies to work and solve the problem. 

Not opposing better facilities, MAD has pointed out that it was always open to the Government to purchase land in Doiwala for any such project, instead of felling green trees.