GURUGRAM: The standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SNBWL) has directed Haryana govt to submit an action-taken report after a district panel flagged at least 70 violations, including illegal construction of housing societies and farmhouses, near the protected Sultanpur wetland.
Construction and other non-forest activities are barred or restricted in a 5km radius around the Sultanpur National Park, which was designated a Ramsar site just last year. This perimeter, called the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ), acts as a buffer to protect the wetland and the wildlife there.
Last month, the intergovernmental panel — comprising Gurgaon deputy commissioner, officials of the irrigation department, state wetland authority, chief wildlife warden, and experts from the Indian Institute of Roorkee — carried out an inspection of the area.
The violations they spotted include encroachments on the Sultanpur Jheel, construction of an affordable housing colony in Garhi Harsaru, another multi-storey residential project in Dhorka village, and farmhouses in Farrukhnagar, the panel told SNBWL in a report submitted this July.
“The violations of ESZ zonal plan and the ESZ notification are likely to intensify development in the region, thus putting the ecosystem at risk. Evidence indicates stresses on the national park as evident in the shrinkage of Sultanpur Jheel and dependence on Gurgaon canal for maintenance of water regimes…,” the panel said in its report.
It also strict enforcement of rules for ESZ zones, advising that farmhouses built near the wetland should be “removed”, no-construction areas should be “preserved”, and water pathways should not be altered. Similarly, green cover should be increased, and more staffers should be hired to maintain the park and ESZ.
The standing committee on Oct 9 took note of the report and told the govt that it was vital to protect the wetland. “There shall be compliance with the recommendations made by the committee in its (govt’s action-taken) report,” the minutes of the meeting of SNBWL noted. The minutes of the meeting were published online on Oct 25.
Asked about SNBWL’s direction, Haryana’s chief wildlife warden Vineet Garg told TOI that the district monitoring committee of the eco-sensitive zone bears the responsibility to act against violators. “However, in a preponderance of cases, corrective actions against violations remain pending. We will submit an action taken report by the next meeting of SNBWL,” Garg said.
The 5km ESZ around the park includes 22 villages. According to the norms, construction is barred within 300m of the wetland, and buildings higher than two storeys are not allowed up to a 500-metre radius.
Commercial construction are barred within a 3km perimeter of the park. On Friday, environmentalists questioned why the govt earmarks a 5km eco-sensitive zone around a forest if it wants to allow projects in the area.
