Bar on commercial activities within 1km from Mukundra
KOTA: A notification by the Centre declaring an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) for the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve in Kota district (MHTR) will prohibit commercial activities, such as mining and hotel construction, within one km area from the reserve, officials said.
According to the Supreme Court ruling, ESZ exists up to 10 km around tiger reserves if the zone is not defined through a notification. But the Union ministry of environment and forest (MOEF) has issued a draft notification to declare one-km ESZ around MHTR, officials said. MHTR has become the first tiger reserve of the state for which a notification for ESZ has been issued, they said.
MHTR chief conservator of forest Anand Mohan said the environment ministry has issued the draft notification on January 10 and people have been asked to give their objections to it within 60 days.
“The declaration of 1 km ESZ around MHTR will bring clarity on land use for all organisations and entities which have commercial interest,” Mohan said.
MHTR is the newest tiger reserve which was formed in 2013 by joining wildlife sanctuaries of Kota region, including Dara wildlife sanctuary of Kota, Jawahar Sagar sanctuary of Bundi, Chambal ghariyal sanc
ANAND MOHAN, Mukundra CCF
tuary of Kota and Bundi districts, and some forest blocks of Chittorgarh district. The park is spread over 759.99 sqkm area, including 417.17 sqkm of core area and 342.82 sqkm of buffer area.
Wildlife organisations have hailed the notification. “Now 1 km area around MHTR will be completely inviolate in which no mining or commercial activity including hotel construction will be allowed,” conservationist Tapeshwar Singh Bhati said.
“The declaration of ESZ will not only prohibit commercial activities within 1 km around MHTR but also regularise tourism activities outside ESZ, which will boost tourism,” Bhati said, adding ESZ is 1 km in most of the tiger reserves in the country.
Sudhir Gupta from Greencore organisation has submitted a memorandum to CCF Anand Mohan, suggesting that the wildlife department should not allow indiscriminate construction of concrete structures in the name of tourism after the issuance of the draft notification.
Greencore has suggested installation of solar energy systems, prohibition of diesel generators, underground power cables, community water treatment plants and battery-operated vehicles by hotels and commercial institutions outside ESZ.
Environmentalists fear that though the draft notification will prohibit mining or commercial activities within 1 km around MHTR, it may pave way for revival of mining leases outside 1 km periphery. Mining was earlier prohibited within 10 km of ESZ.
Declaration of 1 km ESZ around MHTR will bring clarity on land use for organisations and entities with commercial interests.