Originally Posted through Facebook
People of Chandigarh. This is my first post here and I want to share some suspicious activity that I observed at the Lake Reserve Forest on the 20th of June 2016 [A day on which the P.M. was to visit the city]. I often stroll on to the forest trail during my morning walks at the lake and that day around 9 AM as I made my way from the regulator end and into the woods, a very weird looking guy crossed my path in a seeming haste. As we crossed paths, a beat constable in a Reva approached me - it seemed that the guy who crossed me had might have probably had some kind of meeting with the cop since they were both coming from the same direction. Anyhow, the beat cop asked me where I was going and I told him I'm taking a walk. He then went on to ask me "Kya ye walk karne ki jagah hai (Is this a walking track)" to which I responded in the affirmative. I've been walking on this trail since before I became a teenager and I know this forest like the back of my hand - anyways I didn't consider it worthwhile to waste my time on him. He then said - "Be careful, its dangerous inside, tumhe nai pata andar kis tarah ke log baithe hain" Again, I laughed it off, showed him the nice stick (a twig really!) I'd picked up as my trusty companion and continued with my walk - while he again insisted that this is not the place to walk.
While walking on the trail I noticed something strange at many places along the trail - A lot of the Trees seemed to be on a higher platform from the ground that they stood on. It was almost as if someone had created a 4 feet wide circle around every tree, not touched that to avoid damaging the roots; but dug up all the mud in between the trees. Of course I couldn't say for sure because there was grass growing on the ground and it seemed so natural.
However, as I walked further and neared the end which is closer to the lake club - I also noticed that in one of these clearings - there stood water (green in colour and absolutely stale), there were no footprints around that pond either, showing that no wildlife visited it.
I strode on and by now had crossed the wildlife office; I heard what sounded like a diesel generator. Another 200 meters or so ahead - I was shocked to see a full fledged Bulldozer digging around trees in broad daylight. There was a supervisor there too and I asked him what they're doing there to which he replied - "We are creating wetlands for the animals" .
I strode on further, still suspicious of what I had heard, wandered a bit off the trail, and a little closer to the lake where I saw a family of deer, bathing, frolicking and grazing as well as some pea-chicks in the trees above me. This was a beautiful sight. I also realised that the fauna was hanging around closer to the shore rather than the stale water bodies with algae all over them.
As I made my way back to the trail, on questioning, the guard at the gate next to the lake club (tennis court side) told me with a grim look that the forest is supposed to be off-limits for everyone and all kind of activity during the monsoon after I asked him a few questions.
I couldn't help but wonder that just before the rains hit and reorganise the landscape and make the forest greener for everyone- could it be possible that someone is walking off with the soil from the forest. Some of you might say that this doesn't concern me but I say it concerns us all.
That forest is part of Chandigarh identity and a habitat of some very lovely and docile animals, which is being disturbed at a time that they should be free to reproduce. Is this a collusion with the sand mafia or something absolutely necessary - we should get some answers....
Who here can help and in what way?
p.s. I didn't have my camera that day but will try to head there in the next few days to get some snaps. These are pictures I Clicked a while back
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