Gurgaon district, officially known as Gurugram district,
is one of the 22
districts of Haryana
Haryana, with 22 districts, is a state in the northern region of India and is the nation's eighteenth most populous. The state borders with Punjab and Himachal Pradesh to the north and Rajasthan to the west and south. The river Yamuna defines ...
in northern India. The city of
Gurgaon is the administrative headquarters of the district. The population is 1,514,432. It is one of the southern districts of Haryana. On its north, it is bounded by the district of
Jhajjar
Jhajjar is a town in Jhajjar district in the Indian state of Haryana. The city is situated on the road connecting Rewari to Rohtak (NH-352), Loharu to Meerut (NH334B), Charkhi Dadri to Delhi and Gurgaon to Bhiwani. Jhajjar is located west o ...
and the
Union Territory of Delhi.
Faridabad district
Faridabad district is one of the 22 districts of the Indian state of Haryana with Faridabad city being the district headquarters. The Delhi-Mathura-Agra National Highway 44 (Grand Trunk Road) passes through the centre of the district, which oc ...
lies to its east. On its south, lie the districts of
Palwal and
Nuh. To its west lies
Rewari district
Rewari district is one of the 22 districts in the state of Haryana, India. It was carved out of Gurgaon district by the Government of Haryana on 1November 1989. It is also part of the National Capital Region. The administrative headquarter of t ...
.
History
According to
Mahabharata
The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the s ...
(900 BCE), the area was granted by the eldest
Pandava king,
Yudhishthira, to their teacher,
Dronacharya. Later, it passed into the hands of the
Maurya Empire and to invaders like the
Parthians and the
Kusana
The Kushan Empire ( grc, Βασιλεία Κοσσανῶν; xbc, Κυϸανο, ; sa, कुषाण वंश; Brahmi: , '; BHS: ; xpr, 𐭊𐭅𐭔𐭍 𐭇𐭔𐭕𐭓, ; zh, 貴霜 ) was a syncretic empire, formed by the Yuezhi, i ...
s, and the
Yaudheya
Yaudheya (Brahmi script: 𑀬𑁅𑀥𑁂𑀬) or Yoddheya Gana (Yoddheya Republic) was an ancient militant confederation. The word Yaudheya is a derivative of the word from yodha meaning warriors.“Yaudheyas.” Ancient Communities of the Hima ...
(after they expelled Kushanas from the area between
Yamuna and
Satluj). Yodheyas was subjugated by king
Rudradaman I
Rudradāman I (r. 130–150) was a Śaka ruler from the Western Kshatrapas dynasty. He was the grandson of the king Caṣṭana. Rudradāman I was instrumental in the decline of the Sātavāhana Empire. Rudradāman I took up the title of ''Mah ...
of the
Indo-Scythians and later by the
Gupta Empire and then by
Hunas
Hunas or Huna (Middle Brahmi script: ''Hūṇā'') was the name given by the ancient Indians to a group of Central Asian tribes who, via the Khyber Pass, entered the Indian subcontinent at the end of the 5th or early 6th century. The Huna Kin ...
, who were in turn overthrown by
Yashodharman
Yashodharman (Gupta script: ''Ya-śo-dha-rmma'', ) (r. 515 – 545) was a ruler of Malwa, in central India, during the early part of the 6th century. He probably belonged to the Second Aulikara dynasty. He Aulikara Empire, conquered much of t ...
of
Mandsaur and then by
Yashovarman
Yashovarman (IAST: Yaśovarman) was a medieval Indian ruler of Kannauj, who founded the Varman dynasty of Kannauj. There are few sources that provide information of his life, although he was indubitably a powerful man.
Life
Yashovarman was k ...
of
Kannauj
Kannauj ( Hindustani pronunciation: ənːɔːd͡ʒ is a city, administrative headquarters and a municipal board or Nagar Palika Parishad in Kannauj district in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city's name is a corrupted form of the class ...
. The area was also ruled by
Harsha
Harshavardhana ( IAST Harṣa-vardhana; c. 590–647 CE) was a Pushyabhuti emperor who ruled northern India from 606 to 647 CE. He was the son of Prabhakaravardhana who had defeated the Alchon Huna invaders, and the younger brother of Rajy ...
(590 - 467 CE) and
Gurjara-Pratihara (mid 7th century CE to 11th century). The
Tomara dynasty
The Tomara dynasty (also called Tomar in modern vernaculars because of schwa deletion) dynasty ruled parts of present-day Delhi and Haryana in India during 8th-12th century. Their rule over this region is attested to by multiple inscriptions ...
, who founded Dhillika in 736 CE, who were earlier tributaries of Partiharas, overthrew Partiharas. Tomaras were defeated by who were in turn were overthrown in 1156 CE by king ''Visaladeva Chauhan'' of
Chauhan Dynasty.
After the defeat,
Prithviraj Chauhan conquered the area of Gurgaon, Nuh, Bhiwani and Rewari in 1182 CE. However he later lost it to the
Ghurids
The Ghurid dynasty (also spelled Ghorids; fa, دودمان غوریان, translit=Dudmân-e Ğurīyân; self-designation: , ''Šansabānī'') was a Persianate dynasty and a clan of presumably eastern Iranian Tajik origin, which ruled from the ...
under
Muhammad Ghori
Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad ibn Sam ( fa, معز الدین محمد بن سام), also Mu'izz ad-Din Muhammad Ghori, also Ghūri ( fa, معز الدین محمد غوری) (1144 – March 15, 1206), commonly known as Muhammad of Ghor, also Gh ...
following the
Second Battle of Tarain
The Second Battle of Tarain was fought in 1192 between the Ghurid forces of Muhammad Ghuri and the Rajput Confederacy of Prithviraj Chauhan. It took place near Tarain (modern Taraori), which is , north of Delhi. The battle ended in a decis ...
. Following the defeat of Prithviraj Chauhan in his turn in 1192 CE, the area came under
Qutb ud-Din Aibak
Qutb ud-Din Aibak ( fa, قطبالدین ایبک), (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination i ...
(1206 CE) of
Delhi Sultanate who defeated and killed Prithviraj's son Hemraj who had invaded
Mewat area from
Alwar.
Meo - who were mostly Hindu during those times - killed ''Sayyid Wajih-ud-Din'' who had been sent by
Qutb ud-Din Aibak
Qutb ud-Din Aibak ( fa, قطبالدین ایبک), (1150 – 14 November 1210) was a Turkic general of the Ghurid king Muhammad Ghori. He was in charge of the Ghurid territories in northern India, and after Muhammad Ghori's assassination i ...
to subjugate the Meos. The Meos were later conquered and pacified by a nephew of Aibak called ''Miran Hussain Jang'' who led the
Delhi Sultanate army which conquered the
Mewat region sometime between 1207-1210. Many Meo converted to
Islam, allegedly some in forced conversions. Those Meo who remained Hindus were obliged to pay the non-Muslim
military exemption tax known as the
Jizya. In 1249 CE,
Balban
Ghiyas ud din Balban (1216–1287, reigned: 1266–1287) ( ur, ); (Hindi: ग़ियास उद-दीन बलबन); (IAST: ''Ghiyās ud-Dīn Balban'') was the ninth sultan of the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi.
Ghiyas ud Din was the ''rege ...
killed 2000 rebellious Meos. Meo rebels took away large numbers of horses from Balban's army in 1257-58 CE. In 1260 CE,
Balban
Ghiyas ud din Balban (1216–1287, reigned: 1266–1287) ( ur, ); (Hindi: ग़ियास उद-दीन बलबन); (IAST: ''Ghiyās ud-Dīn Balban'') was the ninth sultan of the Mamluk dynasty of Delhi.
Ghiyas ud Din was the ''rege ...
retaliated by overrunning the
Mewat area once again and killing 250 Meo prisoners and slaughtering 12,000 women, children and surviving men.
At the time of the
Timurid conquests in India and the invasion of
Timur
Timur ; chg, ''Aqsaq Temür'', 'Timur the Lame') or as ''Sahib-i-Qiran'' ( 'Lord of the Auspicious Conjunction'), his epithet. ( chg, ''Temür'', 'Iron'; 9 April 133617–19 February 1405), later Timūr Gurkānī ( chg, ''Temür Kü ...
in 1398 CE, ''Sonpar Pal'', titled ''Bahadur Nahar'', of the Hindu Jadu
gotra, was the prominent king of the area who constructed the fort called ''Kotla Bahadur Nahar'' near
Kotla lake at the village of
Kotla, Nuh. Under the patronage of Delhi sultan
Firuz Shah Tughlaq, Sonpar Pal converted to
Islam with the new name ''
Raja Nahar Khan'' and became the founder of the
Khanzada Rajputs
The Khanzada or Khan Zadeh are a community of Muslim Rajputs found in the Awadh region of Uttar Pradesh, India. This community is distinct from the Rajasthani Khanzada Rajput, the descendants of Wali-e-Mewat Raja Naher Khan, who are a s ...
after submitting to Timur. In 1421 CE,
Khizr Khan
Khizr Khan (reigned 28 May 1414 – 20 May 1421) was the founder of the Sayyid dynasty, the ruling dynasty of the Delhi sultanate, in northern India soon after the invasion of Timur and the fall of the Tughlaq dynasty.
Khan was Governor of Mult ...
, the
Sayyid dynasty
The Sayyid dynasty was the fourth dynasty of the Delhi Sultanate, with four rulers ruling from 1414 to 1451. Founded by Khizr Khan, a former governor of Multan, they succeeded the Tughlaq dynasty and ruled the sultanate as a vassal of the Ti ...
king of Delhi, defeated Raja Nahar Khan's converted son ''
Jalal Khan'' of
Mewat and Kotla fort. When, in 1425, converted grandsons of Bahadur Nahar named Jalal Khan and Abdul Qadir (Jallu and Qaddu) revolted, they were defeated by Sultan of Delhi
Mubarak Shah (1421– 1434 CE), who overran
Mewat and killed Abdul Qadir. Jalal Khan continued the native
Mewati rebellion against the
Delhi Sultanate after
Mubarak Shah was forced to deal with
Jasrat Khokhar who had conquered the
Punjab.
In 1527,
Hasan Khan Mewati, a descendant of Sonpar Pal, sided with
Rajput king
Rana Sanga and they were defeated by the invading Mughal forces of
Babur at the
Battle of Khanwa
The Battle of Khanwa was fought at Khanwa on March 16, 1527. It was fought between the invading Timurid forces of Babur and the Rajput confederacy led by Rana Sanga for suprermacy of Northern India. The battle was a major event in Medieval ...
where ''Hasan Khan Mewati'' was killed by the
Mughals
The Mughal Empire was an early-modern empire that controlled much of South Asia between the 16th and 19th centuries. Quote: "Although the first two Timurid emperors and many of their noblemen were recent migrants to the subcontinent, the d ...
, and his son ''Nihad Khan'', ruled Mewat as a vassal of the Mughals.
Aurangzeb sent
Jai Singh I to crush the revolting Khanzada Mewati chief ''Ikram Khan''. After the death of Aurangzeb,
Bahadurgarh
Bahadurgarh is a city, nearby Jhajjar, is located in Jhajjar district in the Indian state of Haryana. The city comprises 31 wards and is approximately 21 km from National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi and 31 km from Jhajjar, the district headq ...
and
Farrukhnagar
Farrukhnagar is a town and municipality in Gurugram district of Haryana, India. It is one of the four administrative blocks of Gurugram district situated from Gurugram and shares its border with Jhajjar district. It is part of the Ahirwal re ...
in the north were under the
Baloch nawabs who were granted
jagir in 1713 CE by the Mughal king
Farrukhsiyar
Farrukhsiyar or Farrukh Siyar () (20 August 16839 April 1719) was the tenth emperor of the Mughal Empire from 1713 to 1719. He rose to the throne after assassinating his uncle, Emperor Jahandar Shah. Reportedly a handsome man who was easily ...
.
The central area of Badshapur was under Hindu
Jat king ''Hathi Singh Kuntal'' while the south including Nuh was under another
Jat king of
Bharatpur State, Maharaja
Suraj Mal
Suraj Mal (13 February 1707 – 25 December 1763) was a Jat ruler of Bharatpur in present-day state of Rajasthan. Under him, the Jat rule covered the present-day districts of Agra, Aligarh, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Etawa, Hathras, Mainpuri, ...
.
During
Maratha Empire the area was conquered by their
Christian French generals in the late 18th century and they granted Farukhnagar to
Begum Samru and Jharsa (Badshahpur) to her European husband
Walter Reinhardt Sombre
Walter Reinhardt Sombre (born Walter Reinhardt or Reinert; ) was a European adventurer and mercenary in India from the 1760s.
Early life
Sombre is thought to have been born in Strasbourg or Treves. His birthplace and nationality, being given in v ...
. Southern areas, including Nuh, stayed under the Bharatpur king
Ranjit Singh and their vassal relatives, one of whom was
Nahar Singh.
[Gazeteer of Gurgaon 1983]
Haryana Revenue Department
Chapter II, pp.35-45.[Gazeteer of Gurgaon 1910"]
Haryana Revenue Department
Section B, pp.19-24.[Gazeteer of Gurgaon 1883-84"]
Haryana Revenue Department
Chapter II, pp.19-25.
During the 1947
Partition of India, majority of the Muslim population fled to the newly created state of
Pakistan meanwhile non-Muslim population of
West Punjab in modern
Pakistan migrated and settled in this region. Many Hindus and Sikhs from
West Punjab came and settled in this region in 1947.
Geography
This district contains many small hill ranges which are part of the
Aravali
The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in Northern-Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and ending in Ahmedabad Gujarat. T ...
and
Mangar Bani ranges.
Demographics
According to the
2011 census, Gurgaon district has a
population of 1,514,432,
roughly equal to the nation of
Gabon
Gabon (; ; snq, Ngabu), officially the Gabonese Republic (french: République gabonaise), is a country on the west coast of Central Africa. Located on the equator, it is bordered by Equatorial Guinea to the northwest, Cameroon to the nort ...
or the US state of
Hawaii. This gives it a ranking of 328th in India (out of a total of
640).
[ The district has a population density of .][ Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 73.93%.][ Gurgaon has a ]sex ratio
The sex ratio (or gender ratio) is usually defined as the ratio of males to females in a population. As explained by Fisher's principle, for evolutionary reasons this is typically about 1:1 in species which reproduce sexually. Many species d ...
of 853 females
Female (symbol: ♀) is the sex of an organism that produces the large non-motile ova (egg cells), the type of gamete (sex cell) that fuses with the male gamete during sexual reproduction.
A female has larger gametes than a male. Females ...
for every 1000 males,[ and a literacy rate of 84.4%. Scheduled Castes make up 13.07% of the population.][
Gurgaon is a Yadav (also use title Rao) and Meo dominated district.
]
Languages
At the time of the 2011 Census of India
The 2011 Census of India or the 15th Indian Census was conducted in two phases, house listing and population enumeration. The House listing phase began on 1 April 2010 and involved the collection of information about all buildings. Information ...
, 65.60% of the population spoke Hindi
Hindi ( Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been ...
, 23.28% Haryanvi
Haryanvi ( ' or '), also known as Bangru, is an Indo-Aryan language spoken in the state of Haryana in India, and to a lesser extent in Delhi. Haryanvi is considered to be part of the dialect group of Western Hindi, which also includes Kharib ...
, 2.35% Punjabi, 2.20% Bengali and 1.33% Bhojpuri as their first language.[.]
Religion
Political and administrative divisions
Assembly constituencies
There are 4 Haryana Vidhan Sabha constituencies located in this district: Gurgaon, Sohna
Sohna is a town and a municipal committee in the Gurgaon district of Haryana, India. A popular tourist weekend and conference retreat, it is on the highway from Gurgaon to Alwar near a vertical rock. Sohna is known for its hot springs and Shiva t ...
, Pataudi and Badshahpur. All 4 of these are part of Gurgaon Lok Sabha constituency.
Sub-Divisions
The Gurgaon district is headed by an IAS officer of the rank of Deputy Commissioner (DC) who is the chief executive officer of the district. The district is divided into 4 sub-divisions, each headed by a Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM): Gurgaon, Sohna
Sohna is a town and a municipal committee in the Gurgaon district of Haryana, India. A popular tourist weekend and conference retreat, it is on the highway from Gurgaon to Alwar near a vertical rock. Sohna is known for its hot springs and Shiva t ...
, Pataudi and Badshahpur
Revenue tehsils
The above 4 sub-divisions are divided into 5 revenue tehsil
A tehsil (, also known as tahsil, taluka, or taluk) is a local unit of administrative division in some countries of South Asia. It is a subdistrict of the area within a district including the designated populated place that serves as its administ ...
s, namely, Gurgaon, Sohna, Pataudi, Farrukhnagar
Farrukhnagar is a town and municipality in Gurugram district of Haryana, India. It is one of the four administrative blocks of Gurugram district situated from Gurugram and shares its border with Jhajjar district. It is part of the Ahirwal re ...
& Manesar
Manesar is a town and municipal corporation, know new Gurugram City in the Gurugram district of the state of Haryana, India and a part of the National Capital Region (NCR) of Delhi. It is an industrial hub.
Its proximity to the burgeoning ci ...
and 4 revenue sub-tehsils namely Wazirabad, Badshahpur, Kadipur and Garhi Harsaru
Garhi Harsaru is a town and railway station in Gurugram district of Haryana state in India. It lies on the road from Gurugram city to Pataudi town. Its postal code (PIN) is 122505. According to the Census India 2011, it has a population of abou ...
. Gurgaon district also comprises 4 Rural development blocks - Gurgaon, Sohna, Pataudi and Farrukhnagar.
Economy
A large number of industries and offices have been established in Gurgaon city, Manesar and Sohna Road.
Cyber City on NH8 is a popular location where most Multi National Companies (MNC) have taken large office spaces. All Special Economic Zone
A special economic zone (SEZ) is an area in which the business and trade laws are different from the rest of the country. SEZs are located within a country's national borders, and their aims include increasing trade balance, employment, increas ...
s (SEZ)s in Haryana state are in Gurgaon, except Sonipat
Sonipat is a city, municipal corporation and administrative headquarter in Sonipat district of Haryana state of India. It comes under the National Capital Region and is around from New Delhi. It is also around 214 km (128 miles) southwest o ...
Ecology
Wildlife Safari
Gurugram Leopard and Deer Safari, also Gurugram Wildlife Safari, will be established as an urban forest
An urban forest is a forest, or a collection of trees, that grow within a city, town or a suburb. In a wider sense, it may include any kind of woody plant vegetation growing in and around human settlements. As opposed to a forest park, whose ec ...
for Gurgaon city on 1,000 acres land in Aravall's foothills across several villages such as Gairatpur Bas, Sakatpur, and Sikhohpur. It will include construction of a greenfield 10-acre lake at the existing natural depression at Gairatpur Bas. Forests will be rejuvenated by plantiong the native trees. Safari will be developed, along the lines of Etawah Safari Park
Etawah Safari Park (formerly Etawah Lion Safari) is a drive-through safari park in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India. It was opened to the public in November 2019. It includes multiple safaris, an Asiatic lion breeding centre and a visitor centre.
H ...
, in compliance of The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) is an Indian government ministry. This ministry is headed by Secretary Rank senior most IAS officer. The ministry portfolio is currently held by Bhupender Yadav, Union Minister ...
(MoEFCC) regulations and guidelines. Safari and lake will support the wildlife, resident and migratory birds, tourist facilities such as boat rides and picnic spots.
''Gairatpur Bas lake:''
Lake near Gairatpur Bas (on the Delhi–Gurgaon Expressway NH-48
National Highway 48 (NH 48) is a National Highway of India that starts at Delhi and terminates at Chennai traversing through seven states of India. It has a total length of 2807 km (1744 miles). NH 48 passes through the states of Delhi ...
) will be in the natural depression which drains into Badshahpur drain and finally into Najafgarh drain (tail end of Sahibi River
The Sahibi river, also called the Sabi River, is an ephemeral, rain-fed river flowing through Rajasthan, Haryana (where its canalised portion is called the "Outfall Drain No 8") and Delhi states in India. It drains into Yamuna in Delhi, where it ...
before it confluences with Yamuna on western gate of Delhi's Red Fort). Gairatpur Bas lake will collect the rainwater from Aravallis. Haryana Forests Department (HFD) has also been laying pipelines and making channels in the Aravallis around Gairatpur Bas depression to direct rainwater to the lake during rains. To make it perennial
A perennial plant or simply perennial is a plant that lives more than two years. The term ('' per-'' + '' -ennial'', "through the years") is often used to differentiate a plant from shorter-lived annuals and biennials. The term is also wid ...
the treated water from Gurgaon's Behrampur Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in Sector 72 will be supplied by a 3.5 km long pipe. Behrampur STP treats 17 cr ltr/day water, of which only 90 lakh ltr was in use, and remaining 16 cr ltr/day water was available for rejuvenating the wetlands of Aravali in Gurgaon and NCR.[
''Significance - biodiversity and wetlands:'' ]
This area is rich in biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
, falls within the Northern Aravalli leopard wildlife corridor stretching from Sariska Tiger Reserve
Sariska Tiger Reserve is a tiger reserve in Alwar district, Rajasthan, India. It stretches over an area of comprising scrub-thorn arid forests, dry deciduous forests, grasslands, and rocky hills. This area was a hunting preserve of the Alwa ...
to Delhi, has several nearby wildlife areas such as Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary, Mangar Bani, Aravali Biodiversity Park, etc. There are several wetlands in Aravallis in this area, some of those formed in the abandoned open pit mines
Open-pit mining, also known as open-cast or open-cut mining and in larger contexts mega-mining, is a surface mining technique of extracting rock (geology), rock or minerals from the earth from an open-air pit, sometimes known as a Borrow pit, b ...
in and around the area and have significance for the migratory birds, including Damdama Lake
Damda reservoir in Sohna, near Gurugram city in Gurugram district in the Indian state of Haryana.Rajiv Tiwari"Delhi A Travel Guide" . Damdama Lake is a small lake in Haryana and was formed when a stone and earthen dam constructed by the British ...
, Badkhal Lake
Badkhal Lake was a natural lake situated in Badkhal village near Faridabad, in the Indian state of Haryana, about 32 kilometers from the national capital of Delhi. Fringed by the hills of the Aravalli Range, this was a man-made embankment. Owin ...
, 10th century ancient Surajkund
Surajkund is an ancient reservoir of the 10th century located on Southern Delhi Ridge of Aravalli range in Faridabad city of Haryana state about 8 km (5mi) from South Delhi. Surajkund (literally 'Lake of the Sun') is an artificial Kund (' ...
reservoir and Anangpur Dam
The Anangpur Dam is an Indian hydraulic engineering structure built during the reign of the King Anangpal I of the Tomara dynasty in the 8th century. It is located near the Anangpur village in Faridabad district, Haryana, India.
History
The k ...
. Locals frequently spot the leopards around Gairatpur Bas, who rarely enter human habitations. According to the Haryana's Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, there were nearly 100 leopards, including 18 cubs, in the Delhi-Gurugaon-Faridabad Aravalli Forests (South Delhi Ridge) in Sept 2019.[ Earlier in June 2019, Haryana Forests Dept had engaged ]Wildlife Institute of India
The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is an autonomous natural resource service institution established in 1982 under the Ministry of Environment Forest and Climate change, Government of India.
WII carries out wildlife research in areas of stu ...
(WII), at cost of INR 40 lakh, to conduct leopard census both in Aravalli and Shivalik areas of Haryana, as 2016 survey was held only in Shivalik hills.
''Funds:''
In Sept 2019, Haryana's Forests Minister had announced that they will allocate INR 300 cr for the project.
''Concerns:''
Activists have raised concerns that there is lack of transparency in the plan.[ Activists and locals also have concerns about the freedom of leopards. If Safari has any barricades it will confine the movement of free ranging leopards, they must not be placed in any enclosures as they are ''"already facing a threat of losing their territory because of the ruin the Aravalli forest has been facing over the past two to three decades."''][
''Conservation:'' ]
Haryana's Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, assured that ''"Once the DPR is ready, we will be in a better position to comment what kind of safari it will be. We will not disturb the natural movement, feeding and breeding of leopards. We are working in consultation with wildlife experts of the country and under the guidance of the ministry of environment and forest."''[ Since (RIL) has developed similar leopard safari near Jamnagar">eliance Industries Limited (RIL) has developed similar leopard safari near Jamnagar in Gujarat under Corporate social responsibility (CSR),] there are suggestions to engage RIL for their partnership, expertise and CSR funding in public–private partnership (PPP) mode to set up similar sections such as the ''"Forest of India"'', ''"Frog House"'', ''"Insect Life"'', ''"Dragon’s Land"'', ''"Exotic Island"'', ''"Wild Trail of Haryana"'' and ''"‘Aquatic Kingdom"'' and many more.
''Current status:''
As of August 2019 was that the GDMA will lay the water pipe by March 2020 provided DPR is approved by the GoH. By October 2019, forests officials had surveyed the area and sent two separate Detailed Project Reports (DPR) to Government of Haryana
The Government of Haryana, also known as the State Government of Haryana, or locally as the State Government, is the supreme governing authority of the Indian state of Haryana and its 22 districts. It consists of an executive, ceremonially led ...
(GoH) for approval - once each for the wildlifie safari by forests department and for water pipeline by PHED Haryana and GDMA (Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority).[
]
Wetland, flooding and water conservation
Gurgaon area has several natural lakes formed by the streams draining the Aravali
The Aravalli Range (also spelled ''Aravali'') is a mountain range in North India, Northern-West India, Western India, running approximately in a south-west direction, starting near Delhi, passing through southern Haryana, Rajasthan, and endin ...
hills in the area. To avoid the flooding various check dam
A steel check dam
A check dam is a small, sometimes temporary, dam constructed across a swale, drainage ditch, or waterway to counteract erosion by reducing water flow velocity. Check dams themselves are not a type of new technology; rather, the ...
s, called "bund" or "bundh", were built.[
Deforestation, ruined state of some of the check dams and obstruction to the ]ephemeral
Ephemerality (from the Greek word , meaning 'lasting only one day') is the concept of things being transitory, existing only briefly. Academically, the term ephemeral constitutionally describes a diverse assortment of things and experiences, fr ...
streams due to random urbanisation and encroachments have led to flooding. This can be prevented by rejuvenating the johad
A johad, also known as a pokhar or a percolation pond, is a community-owned traditional harvested rainwater storage wetland principally used for effectively harnessing water resources in the states of Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, and weste ...
s (lakes) and existing check dams and also by constructing new check dams and artificial lakes. Following must be developed to prevent flooding and enable groundwater recharge, water for wildlife which includes leopards of Haryana, eco tourism and boating, etc.
; Summary of plan
* ''Summary of action plan:'' Following must be done:[
** Badshapur drain needs to be deepened
** Additional lakes needs must be built between Teekli-Badshahpur and Ghata-Kadarpur
** Existing lakes at Bhondsi and Damdama and stream draining into these need to be rejuvenated i.e. deepened and widened
** Existing check dams at Ghamroj, Ghat, Gairatpur Bas, Kadarpur, Jharsa, Ghasola, etc must be rejuvenated.
** New check dams, such as at Pandala.
; Detailed action plan
* ''Bhondsi-Ghamroj-Damdama catchment:'' ]
It lies on the eastern and south side of the Aravalli on the south of Gurugaon.
** Bhondsi lake, deepen and widen to rejuvenate this lake inside the Bharat Yatra Kendra (BYK) ashram
An ashram ( sa, आश्रम, ) is a spiritual hermitage or a monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or a ...
of former prime minister Chandra Shekhar
Chandra Shekhar ( 17 April 1927 – 9 August 2015) was an Indian politician who served as the 8th Prime Minister of India, between 10 November 1990 and 21 June 1991. He headed a minority government of a breakaway faction of the Janata Dal with ...
and rejuvenate all the channels from hills to this lake, it must be large enough to arrest the overflow from Ghamroj and other nearby villages.[
** Ghamroj lake: greenfield lake construction and rejuvenate existing bund and channel to arrest the water from the eastern and south side of the Aravalli on the south of Gurugaon.][
** ]Damdama Lake
Damda reservoir in Sohna, near Gurugram city in Gurugram district in the Indian state of Haryana.Rajiv Tiwari"Delhi A Travel Guide" . Damdama Lake is a small lake in Haryana and was formed when a stone and earthen dam constructed by the British ...
, rejuvenate the lake and build more upstream check dams,[ and construct ponds for the wildlife on top of Aravalli which must be supplied by the solar powered silent pumps.
*'' Badshapur-Teekli-Gairatpur Bas catchment:'' ]
It lies ion the Aravalli south of Gurugaon. Pandala and Gairatpur Bas streams confluence at Teekli and through the Badshapur (sec 66) drain flow through Khandsa (sec 37) and Gadoli (sec 37B) to Daultabad
Daulatabad is a panchayat village in Kiraoli Tehsil of Agra district. This village is surrounded by three towns viz Kiraoli, Acchhnera and Fatehpur Sikri. Administratively it is a Village Panchayat
Gram Panchayat () is a basic village-g ...
(sec 103) and Honda Chowk flooding all these areas. This requires rejuvenation of existing streams and bunds and construction of new ones at the following location.[
** Teekli- Badshapur greenfield lake: a large greenfield lake must be constructed between Teekli and Badshahpur to arrest the water from Aravalli south of Gurugaon.][
** Pandala, Haryana, greenfield bund and channels][
** Gairatpur Bas, rejuvenate existing bund and channels, construct new if needed.][
** Teekli, rejuvenate existing bund and channels, construct new if needed.][
* ''Ghata-Kadarpur catchment:''
** Ghata-Kadarpur lake: greenfield lake between upstream Ghata and Kadarpur to arrest the water from Aravali hills which arrives via the Gold Course and rejuvenate downstream lakes/johads at Jharsa and Ghasola.][
** Ghata, Haryana,
** Kadarpur,
** ]Jharsa
Jharsa is a village in Sector 39, Gurugram city of Gurugram district in Haryana State, India. It has a population of about 32,709; it is located from the Gurugram city centre and from the state's main city, Chandigarh. It is surrounded by Mo ...
, rejuvenate check dams and streams
** Ghasola (sec 49),rejuvenate check dams to prevent flooding at Ghata-Kardarpur.
Deforestation and illegal encroachments
Due to the rapid urbanisation in and around Gurgaon, there is rampant illegal deforestation and encroachments by people in violation of rules,[ often in cahoots with corrupt officials.
]
Villages
* Khandewla
* Patherheri
See also
*Administrative divisions of Haryana
Haryana, formed on 1 November 1966, is a state in North India. For the administrative purpose, Haryana is divided into 6 revenue divisions which are further divided into 22 districts. For Law and Order maintenance, it is divided into 5 Poli ...
References
External links
Official Web Site of District Gurgaon, Haryana
Government of Haryana
Gurgaon Citizen Forum
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gurgaon District
Districts of Haryana