NGT SEEKS STATE REPLY OVER NOT GIVING CTR ECOSENSITIVE STATUS

DEHRADUN: National Green Tribunal (NGT) principal bench New Delhi has issued notices to the Union environment ministry, national tiger conservation authority (NTCA), central empowered committee (CEC) constituted by the Supreme Court, asking Uttarakhand government and Uttar Pradesh government to file replies on a petition raising the issue non-declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) for Corbett Tiger Reserve (CTR).The directions were issued by the green panel while hearing a petition filed by Bijnore Uttar Pradesh-based Satyendra Kumar Sharma on February 28. A copy of the order was made available on Saturday. The petition has pointed out that as per the Environment Protection Act, 1986, the government ought to have notified the lands falling within 10 km of CTR as Eco Sensitive Zone.

The petition has urged the green panel to issue directions to authorities concerned to direct authorities concerned to stop the “illegal and unauthorized construction being undertaken by the developers and the builders within 10 km radius of Corbett Tiger Reserve”.According to the National Environment Policy (2006), Eco-Sensitive Zones are defined “as areas/zones with identified environmental resources having incomparable values which require special attention for their conservation”.Such zones are meant to protect the environment and the biological integrity of the area outside the protected areas and other such areas where an eco-system has been adversely affected due to anthropogenic and climatic factors.Advocate Nandita Bansal, counsel of the petitioner said she argued before the green panel that because of the non-declaration of ESZ for CTR, the mushrooming of hotels, motels, farmhouses, banquet halls, commercial spaces has occurred around CTR which is affected affecting its ecology, flora and wildlife.