Savi Shekhawat and her sister (right) Bhavya cyling from Jaipur to Delhi.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
After cycling nearly 300 kilometres over 12 days, 13-year-old Savi Shekhawat and her seven-year-old sister Bhavya reached Delhi from Jaipur on Thursday to draw Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s attention to Dol ka Badh in the Rajasthan capital, where a 100-acre urban forest is being cleared for development projects.
The sisters want to meet Mr. Modi and seek his intervention to halt the felling of trees. In their letter to the PM, the sisters wrote: “We are not against development, but we believe it should be done in a way that protects nature. We request you to stop the cutting, declare the forest as a Biodiversity Park, and set up an independent monitoring committee.”
The sisters said they will wait in Delhi until they can hand over the letter. “We will meet the PM,” said Bhavya, who had tried to meet Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma in Jaipur but stopped by the police.
Supported by 12 people, including their parents, Vijendra and Sarika Shekhawat, the sisters began their journey on August 10 from Taruchaya Nagar and covered about 25 km each day. The group is part of the ‘Save Dol ka Badh’ campaign, which has been active since 2021.
Dol ka Badh, located in central Jaipur, is home to over 2,400 native trees, 85 species of birds, and animals such as nilgai and rabbits, according to the group. The forest is being cleared for a PM Unity Mall, an initiative to promote and sell local products, a fintech park, hotels, and other infrastructure projects, despite opposition from several citizens and green activists.
“My father used to take me on walks in the forest. I started reaching out to people on my bicycle to make them aware of the construction plans. Though then the projects were halted – this time [2025], as the construction resumed, Bhavya and I decided to pedal to Delhi to ask for the PM’s help,” said Savi.
Their father said the movement is about more than trees. “This is about our children’s future and our city’s health,” Mr. Vijendra Shekhawat said.
Published – August 22, 2025 01:37 am IST
