Miffed at being kept out of the loop on Punjab Government’s Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) proposal around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, the UT Administration has shot off a letter to Union Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF) urging it not to accept the proposal.
In a letter sent to the MoEF, the UT Forest and Wildlife Department has requested the Ministry, to not accept the ESZ proposal of Punjab as the UT authorities are not being consulted on the issue. In regard to Haryana Government’s plan, the UT Department has requested the Ministry to issue directions to the State Government to prepare their ESZ plan in accordance with the UT.
The UT Administration and Punjab Government had submitted the ESZ proposal to the Ministry during last year while Haryana Government is yet to submit its proposal.In its ESZ draft, the UT Administration has proposed an area ranging from 2 km to 2.75 km as ESZ around the Sanctuary while Punjab Government has reduced the radius of the ESZ to 100 meters in its proposal.The UT Administration is yet to receive the draft of Punjab’s ESZ plan.
“Punjab Government had never consulted the UT Administration when they prepared their ESZ proposal for the Sanctuary. The UT Administration has written a letter to the MoEF regarding the issue and requested the Ministry to not approve their proposal without consulting it with the UT Administration,” said Santosh Kumar, UT Chief Wildlife Warden while talking to The Pioneer.
He said, “The Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary belongs to the Union Territory of Chandigarh. Hence, Haryana and Punjab’s ESZ plan around the sanctuary should be finalised after consulting with the UT Administration.”“The UT Administration has not yet received the draft of ESZ proposal prepared by Punjab Government,” he added.
The MoEF had in February convened a joint meeting of UT Administration, Punjab Government and Haryana Government to discuss the crucial issue of creating an ESZ around the Sanctuary. At the meeting, the Ministry had directed Haryana Government to prepare their ESZ plan and hold a joint meeting with UT and Punjab Government for the said purpose.
The UT chief wildlife warden said, “A joint meeting of UT Administration, Haryana and Punjab Government was held recently after the directions of MoEF to discuss the ESZ proposal. As of now, the three Governments are yet to reach a consensus on the ESZ proposal.”Haryana Government is likely to propose 1 km area as the ESZ around the sanctuary.
The Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary spreads over an area of 26 sq km. According to the UT officials, the catchment area around the Sanctuary is around 36 running kilometers. Out of the total area of catchment, about 2 km falls under the jurisdiction of UT Administration and rest falls under the jurisdiction of the neighbouring States of Punjab and Haryana.
In UT’s ESZ draft, low-density and low-rise buildings are proposed in the area falling in the ESZ. “No mining or hazardous industry should be permitted in the ESZ. No expansion of the road outside the Sanctuary should be permitted, No deep bore well should be dug for commercial/large scale users. And, all existing water bodes and indigenous floral and faunal diversity within the zone should be protected,” proposed UT Administration in its ESZ draft.Notably, contrary to the guidelines of Ministry, the UT Administration, Punjab and Haryana had in 2012, decided to submit separate proposal of ESZ around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary falling in their respective jurisdictions.