Recreation tramples bird nesting site

A makeshift badminton court built deep inside Bhondsi's forest stretch has sparked fresh alarm among birders and conservationists, who say the forest department's repeated assurances of habitat protection have failed again.

- Leena Dhankhar

Leena Dhankhar [e-mail] GURUGRAM:

The court has come dangerously close to active nests during peak breeding season in an ecologically sensitive area that, just three months ago, was at the centre of a similar controversy over a volleyball net and a blanket ban on birdwatchers.

The latest structure, tucked behind a locked gate near a recently expanded temple parking lot, lies hidden from plain sight but well within what locals and wildlife experts identify as forest land. According to regular visitors, it was initially placed in front of the parking area but was quietly shifted into the forest, allegedly to avoid detection.