CHANDIGARH: The UT administration has written a letter to the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC) to expedite the process to notify eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary for the area falling in Punjab and Haryana.
Last year, the MoEFCC, while replying to the UT, had stated that the ministry is pursuing the matter with both the state governments.
In the latest letter, UT chief conservator of forests (CCF) Debendra Dalai has requested the ministry to look into the matter.
In 2017, the administration had notified to leave a 2-to-2.75-kilometre radius from the sanctuary as eco-sensitive zone.
The UT has reiterated that 90% area of sanctuary falls in Punjab and Haryana therefore to protect it, it was important to notify the ESZ immediately.
Recently, UT adviser Dharam Pal had directed the forest and wildlife department officials to take up the matter afresh with the central government.
In 2020, in a meeting convened by MoEFCC, wildlife division, to discuss the issues related with forest and wildlife management being undertaken in the state governments and union territories, the administration had submitted for declaring the ESZ at the earliest.
The ministry has issued final notification on ESZ around the sanctuary for Chandigarh alone while Punjab and Haryana till date have not declared such zones in their territories. The UT is pushing that Punjab and Haryana should also follow in its footsteps as it has declared area varying from 2km to 2.75km from the sanctuary boundary as ESZ.
The administration in the past had urged the two states to regulate human activities in the catchment area as the Supreme Court had also upheld that huge construction could not be allowed close to the sanctuary. In December 2019, the UT had urged the ministry to expedite the process of ESZ.
On January 25, 2017, the ministry had issued the ESZ notification for Chandigarh. On September 17, 2015, the ministry had issued the draft notification only for the sanctuary area that fell under UT. The UT had then submitted its objections, urging the ministry to issue a notification for the entire ESZ to protect the sanctuary, whose 90% area fell under jurisdiction of Punjab and Haryana.
