Jaipur’s last remaining urban forest, Dol Ka Badh, is set to be razed for a massive commercial project—threatening over 2,400 trees, rare wildlife, and the city’s green lungs. The Rajasthan government and RIICO plan to build a PM Unity Mall, fintech park, and residential complexes on this 105-acre ecological haven, sparking fierce protests from environmentalists, locals, and activists. As bulldozers arrive and trees fall, the fight intensifies: can the city afford to lose its final patch of wild nature for yet another mall?
00:00Imagine this, a piece of government industrial land
00:29left alone for decades.
00:31No plantation, no park, no human plan.
00:35But slowly, a lush, dense forest springs to life.
00:392,400 trees, birds, animals and life itself thriving on its own.
00:46Now ask this, if such a forest grows naturally on revenue or industrial land,
00:51what happens when a government suddenly decides to build over it after 30 years?
00:57Does nature get a say?
00:58Or is it simply erased as if it never existed?
01:05Remember the land fiasco behind controversial deforestation and protest at Hyderabad University?
01:11Remember the viral video of birds screaming as bulldozers tore through 400 acres of green?
01:18India watched as birds shrieked in panic due to relentless machines.
01:23It made headlines.
01:25It moved millions.
01:27Now, welcome to Jaipur in Rajasthan, where a 100-acre urban forest called Dolkabad,
01:33located just 3 km from Jaipur International Airport, is fighting for its survival.
01:38Right in the heart of the city, this is not just a patch of trees.
01:42It's the city's last climate buffer, the lungs that help people breathe.
01:47But this entire forest is marked for destruction.
01:50A massive industrial and commercial complex, PM Unity Mall, hotels, Fintech Park is already underway.
01:57About 150 trees have fallen.
02:00Fences and pipes now slice through the soil.
02:03Police detaining protesters.
02:05The land's legal journey has fuelled controversy for decades.
02:09In 1979, the government bought this 100 acres of land from local farmers in Dolkabad and it was registered as industrial land in government records.
02:19But industry never came.
02:20In 1988, the Rajasthan government agency, RICO, that develops industrial areas across the state, allotted the land to a company to build an industry.
02:30The company failed to construct anything within the required period.
02:36In 1996, RICO cancelled the allotment.
02:39All this while, nature, patient and unstoppable filled the void.
02:45In 1997, the company challenged RICO in the Rajasthan High Court and managed to reclaim temporary control over the land.
02:53But in 2013, the Supreme Court overturned the High Court's decision and ownership returned to RICO.
03:01And so, what is a thriving natural forest on the ground is still on paper, just industrial land.
03:08And now, a label of industrial land on a dusty file threatens to erase 30 years of ecological magic.
03:15All because no one built any industry and a forest dared to grow on its own with nature's magic.
03:23But wait, why does Dolkabad even matter?
03:27Simple, forests clean the air, cool the planet, fight climate change and make life healthier and safer for everyone.
03:34Dolkabad forest is a breeding ground for many species, animals, birds, insects and plants.
03:40Many rare and threatened species survive in this healthy forest ecosystem.
03:46Destroying this will mean wiping out their homes.
03:50Dolkabad has 2,400-plus mature native trees, including cajuri, neem and babul.
03:5785-plus species of birds, which includes colorful parrots and rare migrants.
04:02Nilgai, peacocks, rabbits, wild hares roam freely here, at least for now.
04:0860-plus medicinal herbs, the city's living pharmacy.
04:12250 tons of oxygen produced every year.
04:1550 tons of CO2 absorbed annually.
04:18Groundwater improved by 30%.
04:20And urban temperature cooler by 2 to 5 degrees Celsius.
04:24And every bit of this took 30 years to achieve.
04:29Since 2021, the citizens have fought back.
04:33Thousands formed human chains, camped out, geotacked every tree, counted every bird.
04:38Daily sit-ins, marches and viral social media campaigns.
04:42They rallied politicians across all parties.
04:45The movement has mobilized 1,500-plus on-ground volunteers and 47,000 signatures.
04:55But despite years of peaceful protest and alternatives offered, the chainsaws came anyway.
05:01Protesters were detained by police.
05:05And yet, Jaipur's fight grows as its last forest falls.
05:11But it is not that the campioners are only protesting.
05:15They are also offering practical alternatives to cutting the forest down entirely.
05:20They gave two options to the government.
05:21First is to convert the entire forest into a protected biodiversity park, which could have
05:29a revenue potential of 27 to 39 crore rupees annually through ecotourism, events, climate
05:35museum, organic cafes and artisan markets.
05:38If not protected as a biodiversity park, the government could also build a pavilion which
05:43beautifully blends nature with thoughtfully designed structures.
05:46So basically it is like this, develop only 30% along the forest's edge, no high-rise,
05:52no dense construction, just trails, learning centres and green hospitality.
05:57And 70% is protected as forest.
06:01This could have an estimated revenue potential of 36 to 51 crore rupees every year, while also
06:07creating jobs and empowering locals, all without mass destruction of forest or wildlife.
06:13And it is not something unique.
06:17Citizens have provided case studies that point out where urban parks have generated tons in
06:22revenue by drawing in millions of visitors.
06:26For instance, Gardens by the Bay in Singapore.
06:28This is 250 acres urban park, which generates around $75 million per year and draws millions
06:35of visitors.
06:36Take for example, Highline in New York.
06:38This is 7 acres park on an abandoned rail line, which generates around $11.5 million per year.
06:45Another example is Capilano Bridge in Canada.
06:48This is 27 acres suspension bridge park, which generates around $41 million per year.
06:54And Royal Botanic Gardens in Australia.
06:57This is 94 acres biodiversity park, which generates around $13 million per year.
07:02Every one of these sites proves nature-rich spaces can provide much more value, economic and ecological,
07:11than a mall built on a forest grave.
07:15Aware citizens have also provided alternative locations for the Unity Mall to be constructed.
07:20Locations that are ecologically less sensitive, have a strong tourism potential, low biodiversity
07:26risk, 20-plus locations that are bigger, logistically better, and not forests.
07:32Then why does the forest have to be cut?
07:35Madhra! Madhra! Madhra!
07:38CSR funds can also help.
07:40In India, 25,000 crore rupees is spent annually on CSR.
07:44This is what a company sets aside to support social, environmental and community development
07:49projects beyond its core business activities.
07:533,000 crore rupees goes to environmental causes.
07:56Citizens say that a forest pavilion could easily be funded by CSR partnerships.
08:01And why not?
08:01Big companies need green projects to brand and support.
08:05Citizens say that this project can be India's national CSR model, giving Rajasthan a legacy.
08:12Jaipur already struggles with rising heat, pollution and vanishing water.
08:18Destroying Dolkabad is not just the loss of some trees, it's the loss of a city's future resilience.
08:24Every tree that falls is a blow to children's lungs, elders' hearts and the city's chance to survive.
08:31No amount of artificial landscaping can replace a thriving, living forest.
08:36Today, legal loopholes hide behind industrial land labels,
08:40ignoring the reality of naturally generated forests.
08:43Only courts can now recognize nature's rights over paperwork.
08:48It will set a precedent for how India respects its forests.
08:53India is urbanizing fast.
08:55Forests like Dolkabad may never return once gone.
09:00This is not a battle against development.
09:02It is a battle for intelligent, ethical development.
09:06Once the forest is gone, there is no turning back.
09:09Saving Dolkabad will not just save trees, but life itself, for a future that still lets us breathe.
09:17What do you think?
09:17Should Dolkabad be saved?
09:19Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:22Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:23Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:24Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:25Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:26Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:28Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:29Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:30Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:31Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:32Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:33Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:34Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:35Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
09:37Let us know in the comments and share this story with others.
