SC panel raps Haryana over illegal embankment in Yamuna corridor

A Central Empowered Committee (CEC) appointed by the Supreme Court has recommended action against Irrigation Department officials of the Haryana Government and contractor for constructing an embankment and a cement stein wall across the Yamuna River Corridor, part of which falls in the Kalesar National Park, without taking the approval of the authorities concerned.

The primary responsibilities of the CEC include monitoring compliance with environmental laws and regulations. The panel, in its comprehensive report, has said that the monitoring of development activities inside forests was not being done properly by the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) monitoring committees across the country.

The ESZ around national parks is the buffer area, in which activities such as construction are regulated to curb impact of human activities on wildlife.

The Haryana Irrigation Department has allegedly constructed a temporary embankment of loose stones and a cement wall to prevent soil erosion and protect the village from flood damage during the monsoon without taking the nod of the ESZ monitoring committee of the Kalesar National Park. Any construction inside the ESZ without the nod of the monitoring committee is illegal.

The embankment was constructed across the Yamuna River Corridor, part of which falls in the Kalesar National Park. A key wildlife passage between the Rajaji Tiger Reserve and the Shivalik ranges, the corridor spans Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.

Highlighting the importance of the wildlife corridor, the commission said, “This area, which is part of the western Rajaji landscape, is identified as a key potential dispersal zone for tigers, enabling them to migrate into lesser-explored, protected areas in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.”

“A major milestone was recently achieved in elephant conservation efforts when a herd of 10 wild elephants -- which is the largest-ever documented herd -- successfully migrated from the Rajaji Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand to the Kalesar National Park in Haryana,” it added.

In its report, the panel pulled up the Haryana Government, saying that the Zonal Master Plan for this ESZ, in particular, and all others in general, were not receiving any priority from the Haryana Government.

It further said, “The ESZ Monitoring Committee was wrongly apprised by the Irrigation Department that the said temporary embankment was constructed along the river to avoid soil erosion and protect villages from flood damage.”

The report claimed that the contractor concerned has not taken any permission from the engineer concerned to construct the temporary embankment.

“The construction of concrete studs of cement and 450-meter-long cement, concrete stein wall for the protection of Abadi and agricultural land of the village was done by the Irrigation Department in violation of the provisions regarding Eco-Sensitive Zone of the Kalesar National Park and Kalesar Wildlife Sanctuary,” the report said.

The report further pointed out that the construction site of the said embankment was in the vicinity of a very important Rajaji—Kalesar—Simbalbara Wildlife Corridor, which needs to be strengthened to ensure safe movement of elephants and tigers.