Latest news with #ESZ
New Indian Express
24-07-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Odisha drops plan to revisit ESZ norms for tourism after CEC scrutiny
BHUBANESWAR: In an important development, the Odisha government has scrapped its controversial position on revisiting eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) notifications for tourism projects that had drawn the attention of the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee (CEC). The contentious plan of approaching the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) seeking permission for use of forest land for non-site specific purposes has also been withdrawn by virtue of a revised proceeding on July 14. The entire minutes on 'Governance and execution model for tourism infrastructure relating to sanctuary, national parks, tiger reserve areas and Ramsar sites' from May 30 meeting, has now been dropped, this paper has learnt. Earlier, in a meeting chaired by chief secretary Manoj Ahuja on May 30, it was decided to revisit the ESZ plans to remove the 'no commercial/no construction' clause to enhance the tourism prospects in forest areas.
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Business Standard
10-07-2025
- Politics
- Business Standard
Centre plans revision of eco-sensitive zone guidelines amid concerns
The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has called for a review of the guidelines governing Eco-Sensitive Zones (ESZs) around protected areas, stressing the need for a more "flexible" and "site-specific" approach that balances conservation goals with local socio-economic "realities". ESZs are buffer areas created around protected forests, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks to protect wildlife and biodiversity from harmful human activities, such as mining, construction and polluting industries. Activities like farming, eco-tourism and the use of renewable energy are usually allowed with restrictions in these areas. Chairing a meeting of the SC-NBWL on June 26, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said, "Strict protection must be ensured for core areas, especially those that are the origin points of tributaries and critical water resources. However, extending a blanket 10-kilometre ESZs to all protected areas, irrespective of local ecological and geographical conditions, would not serve the intended purpose." According to the minutes of the meeting, Yadav cited examples like the Asola, Sukhna and Hastinapur sanctuaries and the Sanjay Gandhi National Park, where uniform ESZ rules are creating "significant challenges". "In states like Himachal Pradesh, where approximately 65 per cent of the land is already under forest or protected status, a rigid imposition of ESZ norms could hinder local development, without proportional ecological gains. Therefore, ESZ rules should be adapted to reflect the specific ecological and socio-economic realities of each region," the minister said. The member secretary suggested that the ESZ guidelines may be revisited to provide better ecological safeguards. This should involve stakeholder consultations, including inputs from state governments, relevant ministries, environmental experts and the ESZ division. A formal inter-ministerial consultation has been suggested to solicit views from all the departments concerned, before finalising any changes in the guidelines. Following the discussion, the SC-NBWL directed the environment ministry to prepare a note on the issue. This will be followed by a consultation with relevant divisions of the ministry and later, a joint meeting of the ESZ and wildlife divisions. The final recommendations will be submitted to the committee for further deliberations. The issue was placed on the agenda by NBWL member H S Singh, who said that ESZ guidelines, while intended to be flexible, are often treated by state authorities as rigid rules. Singh recalled that during the preparation of a zonal master plan in Gujarat, he had recommended prohibition of sand mining up to three kilometres around a national park and regulation beyond that. "However, the notification mentioned complete prohibition of mining activities within a notified ESZ. The guidelines for the preparation of proposals for the declaration of ESZs around national parks and sanctuaries, therefore, require amendments," he said. Several members and state officials flagged concerns over the negative impact of blanket ESZ provisions. The chief wildlife warden (CWLW) of Himachal Pradesh said while ESZs have been notified around multiple sanctuaries in the state and zonal master plans (ZMPs) are being prepared, the inclusion of certain activities in the prohibited or regulated categories is affecting local communities. "Restrictions imposed ... on industries, mining and other commercial activities are resulting in hardships to the affected population," he said. Unlike in protected areas, where compensation is provided during the settlement of rights, no such relief exists for ESZs. "As we move forward with the preparation of ZMPs, these issues are expected to become more pronounced," he said. The CWLW of Karnataka raised concerns about the immediate imposition of a default 10-kilometre ESZ from the date of declaring a new national park or sanctuary. He proposed a two-year transitional period during which existing activities may continue and operators of prohibited activities are given time to either phase out or relocate. He said final ESZ notifications should follow stakeholder consultations and be issued within this window. The CWLW of Tamil Nadu said the default ESZ provision is discouraging the declaration of new protected areas. "Many such proposed notifications are being deferred or scaled down due to anticipated issues arising from ESZ restrictions. A more flexible and site-specific ESZ framework is essential to encourage conservation, without creating unintended hardships," he said. NBWL member R Sukumar said a 10-km ESZ around a small bird sanctuary of about one square kilometre is meaningless. The director of the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) said the current ESZ guidelines are designed primarily with terrestrial sanctuaries in mind and often do not apply well to marine ecosystems. The CWLW of Kerala said a proposal to declare 150 sq. km as a sanctuary around the Silent Valley National Park was rejected by the State Board for Wildlife due to fears that it would automatically lead to default ESZ restrictions. The committee noted that the sectors most impacted by ESZ guidelines include mining, highways, railways, housing and tourism.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
SC panel summons govt officials over ‘ESZ violation' in Satkosia reserve
1 2 Bhubaneswar: Supreme Court's Central Empowered Committee (CEC) has summoned the state chief secretary, Manoj Ahuja, tourism secretary, Balwant Singh, principal chief conservator of forests (PCCF) and head of forest force, Suresh Pant, and PCCF (wildlife), Prem Kumar Jha, to attend in person before it on July 17. They are required to explain the alleged violation of eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) in Satkosia Tiger Reserve as per the tourism department's master plan. The CEC has also mentioned in its July 3 letter to the chief secretary that they will have to explain the plan on constructing a two-lane national highway over Chilika Lake and a bridge over the Mahanadi river near Baliput in the eco-sensitive Satkosia. Based on the CEC letter, forest department communicated to the departments concerned on Sunday to appear before the SC panel as revealed by the govt letter dated July 5. The CEC letter to the chief secretary stated, "With reference to proceedings of the meeting on the master plan on tourism, land bank and HR issues held on May 30, relating to tourism projects, forest clearances and eco-sensitive zones and the requirement of approval of the tourism department in the finalisation of ESZ, you are requested to attend the meeting on July 17 in the CEC office, New Delhi." Earlier, CEC had sought a response from the chief secretary regarding alleged eco-sensitive zone violations, referring to the draft proposal of Satkosia's wildlife wing. Satkosia Abhayaranya and Praja Surkshya Samiti (SAPSS), which filed the petition in the apex court, stated that Satkosia is a Ramsar convention site and the forest department is attempting to modify the 2011 ESZ norm to allow tourism department to undertake massive projects in the core area. Towards the Baliput area, the ESZ has been reduced to zero to pave way for construction activities. "This will facilitate the mushrooming of hotels on the edge of Satkosia gorge, thus encouraging commercial hotels to make their interest prevail over conservation. This will also completely disturb the nesting of birds and the basking of crocodiles on sandbars in both Baliput and Badmul ends," wildlife conservationist Prasanna Behera said. "Outside the boundary of Satkosia, at least 1km of ESZ should be maintained where no construction and tourism activities can take place. If the ESZ is made zero, the biodiversity of Satkosia gorge, which is home to endangered gharials, will perish fast," he added.
Deccan Herald
23-06-2025
- Business
- Deccan Herald
Odisha plans to ease forest, wildlife restrictions to boost tourism; experts call it dangerous
According to minutes of a high-level meeting chaired by the Odisha chief secretary on May 30, the state plans to revisit and amend Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) notifications to remove clauses prohibiting construction and commercial activities.
The Hindu
23-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Odisha plans to ease forest, wildlife restrictions to boost tourism; experts call it dangerous
The Odisha government is seeking to ease environmental restrictions to promote tourism inside and around some of its most ecologically sensitive regions, including national parks, tiger reserves, coastal zones and Ramsar wetlands, according to government records. Legal and conservation experts say this move undermines forest, wildlife and biodiversity laws and tribal rights. According to minutes of a high-level meeting chaired by the Odisha Chief Secretary on May 30, the State plans to revisit and amend Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) notifications to remove clauses prohibiting construction and commercial activities. It also plans to request the Centre to allow forest land to be used for non-site-specific purposes such as hospitality infrastructure and to re-examine Coastal Regulation Zone (CRZ) classifications to accommodate more tourism projects along the coast. ESZs are buffer areas created around protected forests, wildlife sanctuaries and national parks to protect wildlife and biodiversity from harmful human activities such as mining, construction and polluting industries. Activities like farming, eco-tourism and the use of renewable energy are usually allowed with restrictions. The minutes note that the current "no commercial/no construction" clause in ESZ notifications "does not accurately reflect the enabling spirit" of the 2011 guidelines issued by the Centre. "ESZs notified/to be notified should be discussed with the Department of Tourism (DoT) and the tourism master plan should be taken into consideration," the MoM read. The State has decided to set up an empowered committee under the chairpersonship of the additional Chief Secretary, Forest and Environment Department, with the commissioner-cum-secretary, DoT; PCCF and HoFF; PCCF (Wildlife); director, environment; CEO, Chilika Development Authority; field directors of Satkosia, Bhitarkanika and Similipal; director, Nandankanan Zoo; managing director, IDCO; chief engineer, building; managing director, Odisha Bridge and Construction Corporation as members and the director, Tourism, as the member convener. However, independent ecologists, wildlife scientists or tribal representatives are absent from the panel. The committee will meet every two months to discuss issues relating to tourism projects vis-a-vis forest clearance and ESZs. Experts say Odisha's move could allow economic interests to shape regulatory frameworks meant for ecological protection and mark a dangerous departure from India's legal and ecological commitments. "The State is the constitutional trustee of forests and wildlife, with a mandate to safeguard these natural assets," Debadityo Sinha, Lead - Climate & Ecosystems at the Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, said. "A directive that requires states to merely 'take into consideration' the tourism master plan while notifying Eco-Sensitive Zones raises serious concerns. It implies that economic interests may override ecological imperatives," he said. The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 prohibits commercial construction inside national parks and sanctuaries unless it directly supports conservation or is part of approved low-impact tourism. Forest land diversion for non-site-specific purposes such as resorts would require forest clearance under the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, and the consent of local Gram Sabhas under the Forest Rights Act, 2006. The State's proposal to remove ESZ construction restrictions is also at odds with the June 2022 directions of the Supreme Court mandating a minimum one-kilometre buffer around all protected areas to safeguard wildlife habitats. Mr. Sinha said the State's plan also contradicts the National Forest Policy, 1988, which clearly states that the derivation of direct economic benefit must be subordinate to environmental stability and the maintenance of ecological balance. "The push to expand tourism infrastructure and create exemptions for commercial activities is at odds with the spirit of the National Forest Policy, 1988," he said. "It also undermines the very rationale for notifying ESZs which is to function as shock absorbers around sanctuaries and national parks and protect ecological corridors among them." The State has also asked the Odisha Coastal Zone Management Authority to re-examine CRZ classifications to support tourism in areas having "extremely high potential". However, the minutes do not mention carrying capacity assessments, environmental impact studies or consultations with wetland authorities requirements especially critical in internationally recognised sites like Chilika Lake, a designated Ramsar wetland. "The same principle applies to CRZs for coastal areas and Ramsar sites for wetlands, where the focus should remain on ecological preservation," Mr. Sinha said. "There appears to be no discussion on ecological assessments such as carrying capacity studies, strategic environmental impact assessments or any scientific evaluation of the consequences of tourism activities on natural ecosystems and wildlife." "Such vague and arbitrary administrative directions not only violate statutory mandates under forest and wildlife laws, but also risk setting a dangerous precedent. They jeopardise Odisha's rich biodiversity and undermine both national and international obligations,' Mr. Sinha added.
