No headway in creation of ESZ around Similipal

Baripada: Uncertainty continues over the proposal to declare areas surrounding the Similipal National Park in Mayurbhanj district as an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) despite repeated efforts by the Forest department to move the process forward under provisions of the Environment Protection Act, 1986. Although the Baripada forest division had submitted a proposal to declare an area of 0-5 km radius around the protected forest as a restricted zone, it remains stalled due to a lack of response from the state government. Sources said the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) has directed the state government to clarify details regarding the buffer zone of the Similipal sanctuary, but no formal communication has yet been made. As a result, unregulated settlements and illegal activities are reportedly on the rise in the areas meant to be environmentally protected.

Forest officials said the aim is to curb human activities that may harm the ecosystem and protect the biodiversity in and around the national park. A draft notification was issued proposing the declaration of 1,765.29 sq km area around Similipal and Hadagarh wildlife sanctuaries as eco-sensitive zone in January 2019. The draft suggested a boundary ranging from 0-10 km from the protected areas. However, after legal challenges were raised in the Orissa High Court, the proposed ESZ was scaled back to an area of 0-5 km radius. Local residents had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking to restrict activity within 0-1 km radius around the area in question. In response, the previous state government had submitted documents to the court proposing that the area be declared as an ESZ. The Supreme Court, however, sought clarification on why this specific zone should be declared eco-sensitive. As the case remains sub judice, reports suggest that illegal stone quarries and crushers continue to operate in the proposed eco-sensitive areas around Similipal.

More than 50 unauthorised stone crusher units and over 100 illegal quarries are reportedly operating between Thakurmunda on the foothills of Similipal and Bangiriposhi in Mayurbhanj district. Forest officials said that the proposal to declare the area as ESZ was aimed at limiting illegal activities such as mining, stone quarrying, and the establishment of polluting industries. The Forest department’s intent was to use this declaration to help curb unlawful practices, given the region’s ecological sensitivity. However, a few individuals and groups with vested interest have opposed the initiative.

Moreover, no final notification has been issued even after six years. The MoEF&CC has indicated that it is awaiting a final and clear response from the state government. Environmental experts have expressed concern over the continued delay. Moreover, the proposed ESZ declaration does not involve the displacement or relocation of local communities. Agricultural activities in the region will also remain unaffected. When contacted, former wildlife warden and independent director of the Odisha Forest Development Corporation, Bhanumitra Acharya, said that a prompt clarification from the state government to the Supreme Court would help establish the ESZ as a protective shield for Similipal.

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