Dehradun, 9 Oct: A children’s park is being established on around one bigha of forest land situated behind AIIMS in Shivaji Nagar, Rishikesh, in a strategic move to protect this forest land. This land area falls within the jurisdiction of the Rishikesh Municipal Corporation. The authorities have begun the construction of a temporary children’s park. The authorities claim that this initiative, which includes the installation of attractive swings for the children, is aimed at deterring further encroachment on this valuable public asset.
This forest land is located along the Rambha River in Gali Number 29, Ward Number 28 of Shivaji Nagar and it has long been under threat from land mafia. These encroachers had recently again attempted to seize the land by erecting a boundary wall. Acting swiftly on a tip-off, the Forest Department team demolished the illegal structure and reclaimed the land. To prevent any future attempts at encroachment, the Forest Department, in coordination with the Municipal Corporation, decided to develop a temporary children’s park on the site.
The construction work was formally initiated following a traditional ceremony led by Municipal Commissioner Gopalram Binwal and local municipal councillors Lav Kamboj, Abhinav Malik and Surendra Singh Negi. Binwal confirmed that the forest land falls under the Municipal Corporation’s purview and the park is being developed specifically to thwart land-grabbing. He further confirmed that the Forest Department has issued a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) for the park’s construction. In addition to serving as a recreational space for children, the park will also be available for hosting public events, he said.
It may be pertinent to mention that, earlier, when attempts were made to encroach upon this forest land, the Forest Department had responded to a complaint by reaching the site and demolishing the unauthorised structures. Despite these measures, the encroachers continued their efforts, prompting the Corporation to collaborate with the Forest Department and proceed with the construction of the temporary park as a preventive measure.
Interestingly, the Rambha River, which flows adjacent to this forest plot, carries a rich mythological legacy. The river Rambha has been named after the celestial nymph (Apsara) of Indralok, the divine abode of Lord Indra. According to the mythology, the nymph was turned into the river Rambha following a curse given by Indra and by culminating and merging with Ganga, Rambha attained Moksha and was relieved of the curse but continues to flow even now.
Though, this particular piece of land is part of the forest area, it does fall under the municipal limits of Rishikesh Municipal Corporation and in view of this fact, the plot is very valuable in financial terms and therefore remains on the target of the land mafia in Rishikesh. The Municipal Corporation as well as the Forest department hope that, once this plot is developed as a children’s park and opened for the public, it can be protected from the mafia.
