The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) on Wednesday gave its nod to eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) proposal around Bird Sanctuary in Sector 21 here. During a meeting of MoEF and UT officials held in New Delhi on Wednesday, the Ministry approved UT’s proposal for creation of eco sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Bird Sanctuary.
The Bird Sanctuary also known as Parrot Park, spreading over an area of 1.8 hectares is in the heart of a bustling residential area in Sector 21. The status of eco-sensitive zone around the Bird Sanctuary would make the natural habitat more suitable and sustainable for wild birds.
While talking to The Pioneer, Santosh Kumar, Director Environment Department and UT Chief Wildlife Warden said, “The Ministry has approved UT’s ESZ proposal around Bird Sanctuary. Soon, the Ministry will notify the proposed area around the Sanctuary as eco-sensitive zone.”
He said, “The UT Administration had submitted its ESZ draft for the Sanctuary to the Ministry last year.” In its proposal, the UT Administration had recommended stringent regulations to ensure peaceful environment in the zone. The UT proposed to put restrictions on activities like bursting of fire crackers and to make a no-honking zone within 100 meters from the Sanctuary boundary on all sides.
Also, activities like new constructions, digging of deep bore wells, hydel projects, expansion of the road outside the Sanctuary, mining would not be permitted within 100 meters from the Sanctuary boundary. Since the Bird Sanctuary is situated in the middle of the residential area of Sector 21, measures to keep a check on noise pollution in the area have been proposed.
The existence of this Sanctuary dates back to 1980s and it was first noticed by the UT Forest and Wildlife Department in 1990s. The Department had named it as Bird Sanctuary in 1998 and also marked a specified area for the Sanctuary.
The Bird Sanctuary is governed by the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. And, the visiting hour are from between 5:30 am to 8 pm and varies in winter and summer season. No weapons, explosives and chemicals are allowed inside the Sanctuary. To ensure a peaceful habitat to the winged beauties, the caretakers of the Sanctuary also do not allow large group of residents to sit inside the Sanctuary.
As per the officials of the UT Forest Department, “While a decade back, the population of parrots inhabited the Sanctuary was over 10000, now it is less than 3000. Besides Parrot, large number of Woodpeckers, Owls, Sparrows, Pigeons among others also dwell here.” According to forest officials, the declining population here is due to the high levels of noise pollution in the residential area. The noise pollution is a major cause of declining population of birds in the last one decade.
So far, no survey has been carried out by the UT Forest and Wildlife Department to ascertain the birds’ population in the Sanctuary. However, they have ciphered a population of about 5000 birds in the Sanctuary at present observing the number of nests, sounds and other activities of the birds.