JAIPUR: The intense People's Protest and indefinite hunger strike to save Khejri trees in Rajasthan appears to be nearing its end as Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma announced that a dedicated law would be enacted to protect the revered tree in the State Assembly.
Addressing the House, the Chief Minister said, “I want to assure the people of Rajasthan that we will bring a law to protect the Khejri tree, the sacred tree of the state, so that it can be conserved across Rajasthan. The draft of the law will be presented in the Assembly soon.”
Earlier on Thursday, amid the ongoing protest at the Bikaner Collectorate, State Minister K.K. Bishnoi offered juice to the fasting protesters attempting to end the hunger strike.
He also announced a ban on the felling of Khejri trees in the Jodhpur and Bikaner divisions. However, the announcement triggered anger among the protesters.
Soon after, they resumed their hunger strike, declaring that the fast would continue until a complete statewide ban on the felling of Khejri trees was enforced.
Following a day of intense developments, Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said in the evening that environmentalist saints from Bikaner, Phalodi, Jodhpur, and Nagaur districts had met him in August.
He said he had then instructed officials to begin work on a Khejri conservation law and that the process was already underway.
Addressing the protesters from the stage, Minister K.K. Bishnoi stated that the government was fully serious about Khejri conservation.
He announced that the government would provide a written assurance on the protesters’ demands to ensure long-term protection of the tree.
The announcement was seen as a significant moral victory for the protesters, who had been demanding stringent measures, including the enactment of a dedicated ‘Tree Protection Act’.
Responding to the demands, Bishnoi told the protesters, “End your fast, and we will give the assurance in writing.” However, the saints present on the stage refused to withdraw the hunger strike without receiving a formal written commitment.
Meanwhile, the deteriorating health of protesters raised serious concerns for the State administration.
On Wednesday, the condition of more than two dozen protesters worsened, including two fasting saints.
Three protesters were admitted to PBM Hospital in serious condition. In response, the administration set up two temporary hospitals with 75 beds each at the protest site.
Amid growing pressure, ministers K.K. Bishnoi and Jaswant Bishnoi visited the protest site on Thursday morning. The situation turned tense during the visit when one protester suddenly fainted, followed shortly by a woman protester losing consciousness.
Both were immediately shifted to the temporary hospital set up behind the stage.
Initially, 363 environmental activists began the indefinite hunger strike, a number that later rose to 450. The hunger strikers included 29 saints, one female ascetic, and 68 women, with participants ranging in age from 18 to 80 years. All protesters underwent medical examinations on Wednesday.
According to a study by Professor Anil Chhangani of the Department of Environmental Science at Maharaja Ganga Singh University, nearly five million trees have been felled in Rajasthan over the past decade due to solar power projects.
The felled species include Khejri, Ber, Ker, Rohida, and Babool trees.
Prominent leaders, including former Chief Ministers Vasundhara Raje Scindia and Ashok Gehlot, along with MLAs Ravindra Singh Bhati and Abhimanyu Singh Poonia, have also extended support to the movement.
After the save Aravalli movement, the campaign to save Khejri trees has emerged as another major environmental issue, posing a fresh challenge for the Rajasthan government.