Okhla eco-sensitive zone challenged in NGT

A Noida resident's plea challenging the Environment Ministry's demarcation of Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Okhla bird sanctuary prompted the National Green Tribunal to seek response from the Centre on the issue.
The August 19 notification had declared that the ESZ in the sanctuary will be the area up to 100 m from the eastern, western and southern boundaries and up to 1.27 km from the northern boundary of the sanctuary, which extends up to DND flyover across the riverbed situated in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district and southeast district of NCT Delhi.
A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar issued notices to Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), state governments of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh while seeking their reply by November 9.

The directions came while hearing a plea by Anand Arya who sought quashing of the August 19 notification issued by the Environment Ministry around Okhla bird sanctuary.
The plea, filed through advocate Rahul Choudhary, stated that Environment Ministry has made an 'arbitrary' and unreasonable demarcation which was completely in violation of the policy laid down by Supreme Court and the National Board of Wildlife.
"The Supreme Court, in Goa Foundation vs Union of India, envisaged an area of 10 km in which the project requiring environmental clearance should be referred to the National Board of Wildlife also. The demarcation of such small areas as eco-sensitive zones further after repeated orders of the apex court show clear disregard of the policy and blatant arbitrariness...

"The manner in which the Eco Sensitive Zones have been notified as a mere 100 metres to 1.27 km shows a blatant disregard of all the legislative, judicial and technical discourse that have taken place upon the instant matter over the years," the plea said.
Arya contended that eco-sensitive zones are aimed at strengthening buffer zone around the protected areas and check negative impact of industrialisation, however, the demarcation has frustrated the entire purpose of declaration of eco-sensitive zones.