Only area under UT to be declared ESZ

Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 7

The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has decided to issue the final notification on declaration of an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary only for the area falling under the jurisdiction of the UT and not for areas falling under Punjab and Haryana. The cases of Punjab and Haryana will be dealt with separately.

UT Chief Conservator and Forests Santosh Kumar had met officials of the MoEF on February 4 in this regard. The officials told him that that they would issue the final notification in March.

On September 17, the ministry had issued a draft notification only for the area of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary falling under the UT Administration and not for areas under Punjab and Haryana.

The UT had submitted its objection to the MoEF stating that instead of declaring only the area of the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary falling under the jurisdiction of the UT Administration as the ESZ, the ministry should issue a notification for the entire sanctuary, including areas falling under the jurisdiction of Punjab and Haryana.

The UT submitted that to protect the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, it was mandatory to declare an ESZ around the entire sanctuary. Moreover, 90 per cent area of the sanctuary fell under the jurisdiction of Punjab and Haryana, it had contended.

Punjab’s proposal 

The Punjab Government had proposed an ESZ within a 100-metre radius around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary whereas the UT Administration wanted it to be at least 1 km or up to 2.5 km. Haryana was yet to propose the radius for the ESZ.