India, Jan. 30 -- The Supreme Court of India's recent directive to the Central Empowered Committee to scrutinise the proposed Zoo Safari project in the Haryana Aravallis marks a critical juncture in the preservation of one of India's most fragile ecological spines. Spanning a massive 10,000-acre enclosure on forest land, the project has come under intense legal and environmental scrutiny, with the strategic transfer of its jurisdiction from the Tourism Department to the Forest Department in January 2025 being seen as a tactical attempt to bypass the approval requirements of the Van Sanrakshan evam Samvardhan Adhiniyam, 1980 (VSSA).

The project prioritises tourist "dwell time", night safaris, the development of permanent infrastructure, a...