In a relief to thousands of home buyers in Noida, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar announced on Tuesday that the Centre has approved the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Okhla Bird Sanctuary and limited it to 1 km. The decision will make 59,400 apartments in the area legal.
“The notification on the new eco-sensitive zone will be out in one week. The limitation of justifiable limits around Okhla Sanctuary has been completed. The Government has approved the draft notification on Okhla Eco-Sensitive Zone,” said Javadekar.
As per the draft notification, the ESZ is the area up to 100 metres from the eastern, western and southern boundary and up to 1.27 kms from the northern boundary of the Okhla Bird Sanctuary up to the DND Flyway across the Yamuna river bed, located in the Gautam Budh Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh and south-east district of Delhi.
The areas falling under the ESZ are Sector 95 in Noida, Chhalera and Nayabans areas in Uttar Pradesh besides Shaheen Bagh, Jasola, Abul Fazal enclave, Okhla, Canal colony, Joga Bai and Khizrabad in Delhi.
“Today’s decision will help thousands of home buyers and ease the pain of EMIs,” he said. Javadekar also allayed fears of any negative impact on the bird sanctuary and said that the natural habitat won’t be in danger because of the decision.
Simultaneously, the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Tuesday directed the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to issue within three weeks the final notification on the ESZ around the Okhla Bird Sanctuary.
A Bench, headed by NGT chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar said that once the final notification is announced by MoEF, all the stakeholders concerned will be at liberty to challenge it in accordance with the law.
The NGT had restrained New Okhla Industrial Development Authority in October 2013 from issuing completion certificates for structures falling within 10 kms of the Okhla Bird Sanctuary. Ambitious projects of noted realtors like Jaypee fell within the prescribed radius.
Meanwhile, the Okhla Reservoir, created by constructing a barrage on the Yamuna River attracts over 6,000 birds including migratory species every year. It was declared a bird sanctuary by the Uttar Pradesh Government in May 1990.
The reservoir is spread over an area of 400 hectares. While 273 hectares comprise of the water body, reed-beds and islands build up 97 hectares. The remaining 30 hectares is taken up by roads bandhs.