42वीं विशेषज्ञ समिति के कार्यवृत्त

MINUTES OF 42nd ESZ EXPERT COMMITTEE MEETING FOR THE DECLARATION OF ECO-SENSITIVE ZONE (ESZ) AROUND PROTECTED AREAS (WILDLIFE SANCTUARIES/NATIONAL PARKS/TIGER RESERVES) & ZONAL MASTER PLAN (ZMP) THROUGH VIDEO CONFERENCING (VC) HELD ON 18th AUGUST, 2020. The 42nd Meeting of the Expert Committee on Eco-Sensitive Zone was held under the Chairmanship of Shri Ravi Agrawal, Additional Secretary on 18th August, 2020 through VC. List of participants is annexed as Annexure-A. 2.       At the outset, the Chairman welcomed the expert members, participants from the States of Karnataka, Arunachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Assam, Odisha, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand. After a brief introduction, Chairman invited states to present their proposals. 3.       Following 14 proposals for Eco-Sensitive Zone listed in the agenda were taken up ad-seriatim. The representatives of respective State Government presented their ESZ proposal for the consideration of Expert Committee: S.No. State/UT Protected Area Status  1. Karnataka Thimlapura Wildlife Sanctuary Fresh proposal  2. Arunachal Pradesh Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary Fresh proposal  3. Uttarakhand Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary Re-notified proposal  4. West Bengal Gorumara National Park Fresh proposal  5. Assam Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Fresh proposal  6. Assam Dehing

Patkai

Wildlife Sanctuary Revised proposal  7. Jharkhand Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary For amendment of the final notification  8. Andhra Pradesh Sri Venkateshwara National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary Draft notification deferred in previous ECM meeting  9. Telangana Kesu Brahmananda Reddy National Park Draft notification deferred in previous ECM meeting  10. Maharashtra Thane

Creek

Flamingo Sanctuary Draft notification deferred in previous ECM meeting  11. Odisha Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary Draft notification deferred in previous ECM meeting  12. Rajasthan Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary Draft notification deferred in previous ECM meeting  13. Rajasthan Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary Draft notification deferred in previous ECM meetings  14. Uttar Pradesh Mahavir

Swami

Wildlife Sanctuary Additional

information awaited from State Govt.  4.       Discussion on the ESZ proposals:

4.1. Thimlapura Wildlife Sanctuary, Karnataka Shri. Ajai Mishra, PCCF, Forest Department, Govt. of Karnataka, made a presentation on the proposal. It was informed that the draft ESZ notification of Thimlapura Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 23rd April, 2020. The salient features of the draft Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     50.86 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     61.80 sq km Proposed Extent     :     1.00 km to 2.20 kilometre 2.       Thimlapura Wildlife Sanctuary situated in the Madhugiri and Koratagere Talukas of Tumakuru District, Karnataka. The area is for the conservation and protection of the sloth bear, leopard and other endangered faunal biodiversity. The representative of the State Government requested for amendments in the notification with reference to the following activities: (a)       The activities namely, (i) Establishment of large-scale commercial livestock and poultry farms by firms, corporate and companies; (ii) Commercial use of fire wood and (iii) New wood based industry  should be kept under ‘Prohibited’. (b)       The activities namely, (i) Open well, bore well etc. for agriculture or other usage shall be kept under ‘Regulated’ activities. (c)       Solid waste management to be read as ‘Solid waste management or biomedical waste management and (iii) ‘Construction activities’ to be read as “No new commercial construction of any kind shall be permitted within 1 km from the boundary of the Sanctuary or upto the extent of Eco-sensitive Zone whichever is nearer: Provided that, local people shall be permitted to undertake construction in their land for their residential and local commercial use including the activities listed in sub paragraph (1) of paragraph 3 as per building byelaws to meet the residential needs of the local residents, should be kept under ‘Regulated’ and Plantation of Horticulture and Herbals to be kept under  ‘Promoted’ activities. 3.       Furthermore, State Government requested for inclusion of details of the Reserved Forest, Conservation Reserve area and other Forest Area falling in the Eco-sensitive Zone around Thimlapura Wildlife Sanctuary as provided in their letter while submitting the proposal. 4.         It was confirmed by the State Government that the comments/objections and suggestions received from persons and stakeholders in response to the draft notification have been duly considered by the State. 5.       Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the Committee accepted above changes and decided to recommend the finalization of the draft with the above mentioned changes. Additionally, the Chairman urged the State to expedite the submission of

pending ESZ proposals from the State. With respect to Karnataka, the ESZ proposals/information are still pending for Nagarhole Tiger Reserve, Bhimgad Wildlife Sanctuary, Shettihalli Wildlife Sanctuary, and Jogimatti Wildlife Sanctuary. 4.2 Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary Arunachal Pradesh Shri. G. Kumar, PCCF, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh, made a presenttion on the proposal. It was informed that the draft ESZ notification of Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 22nd May, 2020. The salient features of the draft Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     4941 sq km Proposed ESZ area :    194.5 sq km Proposed Extent     :    0 to 1 kilometre 2.       It was informed that Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary is one of the largest sanctuaries at higher altitude and holds rich biodiversity ideally suited for various floral and faunal forms, Royal Bengal Tiger and other endangered species. 3.       The representative of the State requested for few corrections on the area of Wildlife Sanctuary. The total area of the PA should be read as 4149 square kilometre instead of 4941 sq km without changing the boundary of the PA. It was further informed that zero extent of Eco-sensitive Zone has been proposed in the north and eastern boundary due to border sharing with Indo-China International boundary. 4.       The Committee asked the state to explore the possibility of increasing the extent beyond the proposed 1 km on the basis of natural boundaries like rivers, forests etc. The representative of the State however explained that one (1) kilometre ESZ extent is sufficient from the protection and management point of view since concerns of locals also need to be taken into account to avoid opposition and resentment among the locals. Already more than 4149 sq km area of protected area is available for the wildlife habitat and majority of the wildlife subsist on upper stretch of the Sanctuary. 5.      It was confirmed by the State Government that the comments/objections and suggestions received from persons and stakeholders in response to the draft notification have been duly considered by the State. 6.         Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the Committee recommended for finalization of the draft notification. Furthermore, the Chairman asked the State to expedite submission of remaining ESZ proposal pending with the Government of Arunachal Pradesh, which includes Rube Supse Sanctuary, Dayang Ering Wildlife Sanctuary, Itanagar Sanctuary, Sessa Orchid Sanctuary, Pakke Tiger Reseve, Namdapha Tiger Reserve, Mehao Wildlife Sanctuary, Tale Valley Wildlife Sanctuary for consideration. 4.3 Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary Uttarakhand CCF, Kumaon, Ms......... , Government of Uttarakhand made a presentation on

the proposal. It was informed that the draft ESZ notification of Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary was re-published on 22nd May, 2020. The salient features of the draft Eco- sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     269.95 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     540.267 sq km Proposed Extent     :     0.7 kilometre to 15.0 kilometre 2.       It was informed that Nandhaur Wildlife Sanctuary comprises of central part of Haldwani Forest Division and western part of Champawat Forest Division. The name of the Sanctuary is derived from Nandhaur River which flows inside the valley. 3.       The State Government has requested for few corrections in the draft notification. The draft notification, which refers to two districts viz, Nainital and Champawat districts; need to be amended to three districts namely, Nainital, Champawat and Udham Singh Nagar districts of Uttarakhand. 4.       The Committee examined the demarcation features of the ESZ boundary around the protected area. It was further suggested that inclusion of three beats namely Majgai, Nakhatal, and Nagra beats of Kilpura-Khatima-Surai Corridor could improve protection and management of ESZ, if not already included in the draft notification. Nonetheless, State Government informed that the present ESZ boundary was demarcated well at the pre-eminent level of the State Government and state will provide elucidation if those beats are not included in the draft notification. 5.         It was confirmed by the State Government that the Comments/objections and suggestions received from persons and stakeholders in response to the draft notification have been duly considered. 6.         Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the committee recommended for finalization of the draft with the above mentioned correction on the PA’s location statement and verification on the 3 beats suggested by the experts. The Chairman further urged the State Government to submit the remaining ESZ proposals, which are pending from State viz, Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, Valley of flowers National Park, Govind Pushu National Park, Mussurie Wildlife Sanctuary, etc.  4.4 Gorumara National Park West Bengal Dr V.N Rajashekhar, Forest Department, Government of West Bengal made a presentation on the proposal. It was mentioned that the draft ESZ notification of Gorumara National Park was published on 4th June, 2020. The salient features of the draft Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     79.99 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     209.99 sq km Proposed Extent     :     2.50 kilometre to 5.00 kilometre

2.       Gorumara National Park is located on the right side of National Highway in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal. The National Park recorded number of Schedule-I species including Indian elephant, gaur, Chinese pangolin, leopard, Indian rock python, Malayan giant squirrel, leopard cat etc. The great Indian one horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis) is the key species of the National Park. It was informed that no comments/objections were received from the stakeholders / public on the draft. 4.       The representative of the State mentioned that the proposed ESZ extent has uniform 5 km extent with total ESZ area of 318.60 sq km. The chairman of the committee however pointed that the extent and area of ESZ in the draft notification for Gorumara National Park is 2.50 kms to 5.00 kms and 209.99 sq km. The area statement in the draft notification was published based on the additional information submitted by the State Govt. on its letter no. C-65003/01/2019/VII dated 12.04.2019. 5.       The State Government however clarified that revision in extent and area of ESZ has been made after the said communication letter and the same ‘now stands as 5km uniform around the National Park and 318.60 sq km, respectively’. 6.       Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the Committee recommended for finalization of the draft subject to submission of requisite extent and area of ESZ by the State Government. In addition, the Chairman informed State about six ESZ proposals of West Bengal viz, Sundarbans Wildlife Sanctuary, Sajnekhali Sanctuary Wildlife Sanctuary, West Sundarban Wildlife Sanctuary, Holiday Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary, Jorepokhri Wildlife Sanctuary, which are still pending with the State Government The Chairman urged the state to expedite the submission of said proposals.  4.5 Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam Shri. M.K. Yadav, Forest Department, Govt. of Assam made a presentation on  the proposal. It was mentioned that the draft ESZ notification of Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 4th June, 2020. The salient features of the draft Eco- sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     45.568 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     251.031 sq km Proposed Extent     :     76.27 meter to 8.79 kilometre 2.        The Chakrasila Wildlife Sanctuary is located in Dhubri and Kokrajhar districts of Assam and is now part of the Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC). The Sanctuary is the only area dedicated to endemic & endangered species of Golden Langur (Trachypithecus geei) and has good number of its population. It also supports the diverse faunal diversity including 20 species of mammals, 13 species of amphibians, 10 of reptiles, 109 species of avifauna. 3.         It was informed that the proposed ESZ includes certain adjoining landscape

such as south of Bhutan-Manas landscape, reserved forest, protected forest, and also connected to water bodies of Bheels and river. The extent of ESZ that range from 76.27 meters is due to road which has been taken as natural boundaries of the ESZ. The Committee pointed out that the  measurement of the extent is too close to digits of centimetres (0.27 m=270cm). The representative of the state agreed for rectification of the same and submission of clarification in this regard. 4.         The Committee revealed the importance of Sanctuary for Golden Languar and appreciated the nature of delineation, as it includes most of the adjoining forest area with proper demarcation limited by natural boundaries.  5.        Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the Committee recommended for finalistion of the draft notification subject to change in the extent of the ESZpointed out in paragraph 3 above. 4.6 Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary, Assam Shri. M.K. Yadav, Forest Department, Government of Assam made a presentation on the proposal. It was informed that the draft ESZ notification of Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 30th May, 2019. The salient features of the draft Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     111.19 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     215.82 sq km Proposed Extent     :     Zero to 7.5 kilometre 2.        Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is located at Dibrugarh and Tinsukia Civil Districts of Assam. Previously, the ESZ proposal of Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary was considered in the 37th Expert Committee Meeting held on 30th Sep. 2019. During the said meeting, committee suggested for submission of revised draft with restriction of drilling activities upto 1 km. The state govt. has submitted the revised proposal with ESZ extent ranging from 0 to 5.5 kilometres with ESZ area of 167.55 sq km. 3.         The representative of the State Govt informed that Dehing Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary is under consideration for getting upgraded to National Park very soon. Accordingly, It was requested to the Committee to suggest if the ESZ to be notified now or after the change of status to National Park. The Committee noted that with upgradation to National Park, there is possibility of additional area in the ESZ; accordingly the proposed ESZ will be considered. 4.          After detailed deliberations, the Committee recommended for submission of revised draft notification of Dehing Patkai after its upgradation to National Park. 5.          The Chairman asked the State Government to expedite other ESZ  proposals, which are pending from the Government of Assam namely, Borail Wildlife Sanctuary, Panidehing Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajiv Gandhi Orang Wild Life Sanctuary,  Panidehing Sanctuary Wild Life Sanctuary, Kaziranga National Park, Manas National Park and Barnadi Sanctuary, Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary, Pobitora Wild Life

Sanctuary, Bordoibam-Beelmukh Sanctuary, Marat Longri Sanctuary and Bherjan Borajan Wildlife Sanctuar, Assam.  The submission of State Government regarding zero extent all around Bherjan Borajan Wildlife Sanctuary was not accepted by the Committee and suggested State Government for revisiting the proposal. 4.7 Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary Jharkhand Shri. S.K Suman, Forest Department, Government of Jharkhand attended the meeting.  It was mentioned that the ESZ final notification of Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 29th March, 2012 with extent of 0 (zero) to 5 kms having 51 villages inside the ESZ. The State Government has now requested for amendment in the notification by exclusion of 13 villages justifying that those villages are situated beyond 10 kms wherein 5 kms is the maximum extent of the ESZ. 2.       The Committee informed that previously the proposal was also discussed earlier during meeting of the 39th Expert Committee on ESZ when the State Government was suggested for validations of the village’s location along with their geo-coordinates & maps. The said meeting recommended for amendment, subject to submission of requisite maps marked with villages’ location & geo-coordinates by the State Govt. for authentication. However, the requisite information is still awaited from the State Government. 3.       In the absence of information, authentication and amendment couldn’t be done. The representative of the State assured that the requisite information will be  submitted soon to the Ministry. 4.       Accordingly, the committee recommended for submission of required information within 20 days for consideration of amendment of the notification by the Ministry. 4.8 Sri Venkateshwara National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary, Andhra Pradesh   Shri. N Prateep Kumar, IFS PCCF, Government of Andhra Pradesh made a presentation on the proposal. It was mentioned that the draft ESZ notification of Sri Venkateshwara National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 22nd January, 2019. The salient features of the draft Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     525.97 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     992.45 sq km Proposed Extent     :     0 to 10 kilometre      It was informed that Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuary and National Park are situated in Chittoor and Kadapa Districts of Andhra Pradesh. The Committee inquired whether the ESZ proposal is for Sri Venkateswara Wildlife Sanctuary alone or both Sri Venkateswara National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. The representative clarified that the present ESZ proposal comprised of both Sri Venkateswara National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. 2.    The draft ESZ notification of the Sanctuary was considered during the 35th

meeting of the Expert Committee on ESZ held on 3rd June 2019. During the meeting, the State Government had sought deferment of the proposal for certain changes, such as keeping out few villages including Tirumala from the proposed Eco-sensitive Zone. He further informed that the proposal was considered by the District Level Committee, which endorsed certain changes such as exclusion of approx. 10-15 sq km enclosures area and providing 100 m buffer around such enclosure. The District Level Committee also decided to exclude two more villages namely, Mamandur and Kukkaladoddi villages due to location of food processing industries. Furthermore, during the district level meeting, it was decided to exclude few areas like Karakambadi, Chennaiagh kunta and Kapilatheertham falling in Tirupati Town. 3.    The Committee opined that the declaration of ESZ doesn’t mean complete restriction or prohibition of development activities,  it provides for regulation of  certain activities. The committee understands the importance for the exclusion of Tirumala villages; although exclusion of other adjoining areas for the purpose of development activities will not be appropriate. Therefore, the State Government was asked to submit revised proposal with proper justification.   4.    Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the Committee asked State Government for submission of  revised proposal to the Ministry at the earliest for its timely finalization.       In addition, the Chairman further urged the State to expedite the submission of ESZ proposals, which are pending with the State Government namely, Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary, Gundla Brahmeshwaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Kolleru Wildlife Sanctuary, Papikinda National Park, etc. 4.9 Kesu Brahmananda Reddy National Park Telangana   APCCF, Telangana, Forest Department, Government of Telangana made a presentation on the proposal. It was mentioned that the draft ESZ notification of Kesu Brahmananda Reddy National Park was published on 30th October, 2018. The salient features of the draft Eco-sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     1.42 sq km Proposed ESZ area:     0.0582 sq km Proposed Extent     :     0.003 to 0.0298 kilometre 2.         Previously, the ESZ proposal for Kesu Brahmananda Reddy National Park was considered during the 33rd meeting of the Expert Committee on ESZ held on 28th Feb 2019. During the meeting, the Committee suggested to explore the area and revise the ESZ extent by allowing flyover under regulated activities and asked the State to submit detailed report of the public hearing. The requisite information is still pending from the State Government. 3.         The representative of the State responded that the National Park is located at the middle of the city and the National Park is fully protected all around with high ornamental grill wall. It was also mentioned that State Government has Master Plan for the city. While inquiring the available fauna of the National Park, State has

informed that jungle cat, hare, porcupine, civets, pangolin, are the prominent fauna of the area. Public hearing for the proposed ESZ was conducted and the requisite information

is

delayed

due

to

pandemic

situation. 4.         Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the Committee recommended the proposal for finalization of the draft.       The Committee further requested for submission of the pending ESZ proposals from the State of Telangana. The ESZ proposals of Kawal Tiger Reserve, Siwaram Crocodile Sanctuary, Amrabad Tiger Reserve, Eturnagaram Wildlife Sanctuary, Pranahita Wildlife Sanctuary, Mrugavani National Park are pending from the State, which needs to be submitted.  4.10 Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary Maharashtra Shri Virendra Tiwari, APCCF Government of Maharashtra, apprised the Committee about the proposal. It was informed that the draft ESZ notification of Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary was published on 6th November, 2019. The salient features of the draft Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     16.90 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     34.05 sq km Proposed Extent     :    0 to 3.50 kilometres 2.         The proposal for Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary was considered during the 39th meeting of the Expert Committee on ESZ held on 04.02.2020. During the meeting, the Committee suggested the State Government to revise the proposal by exploring the possibility of including the forest area in ESZ. The revised proposal has been pending with State Government since February 2020. 3.         In this regard, the APCCF informed that the revised ESZ proposal of Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary has been submitted to the State Government for approval in May, 2020. It was informed that the proposal will be submitted to the Ministry within 15 days. The Chairman emphasised for pursing the matter with State Government and facilitate early submission of the revised proposal. 4.         While reviewing the other pending proposals, the State Government was asked to submit the revised proposal of Nandur Madhmeshwar WLS. Also the State was requested to expedite the submission of the pending ESZ proposals for Bor Wildlife Sanctuary, Deolgaon-Rehekuri WLS, Malvan WLS, Esapur WLS and Sahyadri Tiger Reserve to the Ministry. 4.11 Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary Odisha Shri. Mihir Biswal, DFO, Govt. of Odisha apprised the Committee about the proposal. It was informed that the draft ESZ notification of Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 9th August, 2019. The salient features of the draft Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :    147.66 sq km

Proposed ESZ area :     939.58 sq km Proposed Extent     :    0 to 10 kilometres 2.         It was mentioned that the proposal was earlier considered during the 37th meeting of the Expert Committee on ESZ held on 17.12.2019. During the meeting, the State Government has mentioned that rationalization of Protected Area(PA)  is under process and accordingly the Committee recommended for submission of revised proposal after rationalisation of the PA. The Committee also suggested for extending the ESZ extent. The said information was pending from State Government, since December, 2019. 3.         The representative of the State Government informed that rationalization for the area of Karlapat Wildlife Sanctuary is still under process and under consultation with the NBWL. Since it is time taking process, State Government requested for more time for validation of the area under the PA. The Committee accepted the request of the State Government and asked them to expedite submission of the revised proposal. 4.            While reviewing the other proposals, the State Government was asked to submit the revised proposals of Simplipal Tiger Reserve and Kotagarh WLS, Baisipalli WLS and Satkosia Tiger Reserve, which are long pending for want of information for further consideration by Expert Committee.   5.         Additionally, the State Government informed about Chilka lake proposal, which has been submitted to State Wetland Authority for vetting and its approval for Notification at State level is under the provisions of Wetlands Rules. 4.12 Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary, Rajasthan Shri. Arindum Tomar, PCCF, Government of Rajasthan apprised the Committee about the proposal. It was informed that the draft ESZ notification of Bassi Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 4h November, 2019. The salient features of the draft Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :    138.69 sq km  Proposed ESZ area :     108.00 sq km Proposed Extent     :    0 (zero) to 3.00 kilometres  2.         It was mentioned that previously the proposal was considered during the 39th meeting of the Expert Committee on  ESZ  held on 4th Feb. 2020. During the meeting, State Government sought deferment for the purpose of consultation with stakeholders. The information is still pending from the State Government since February, 2020. 3.         While asking the firm timeline, the representative of State Government informed that they are  planning to submit outcome of the public consultation report along with the proposal on or before 5th Sept. 2020.

4.         Based on the discussions held, the committee accepted the request of State Government for deferment and asked them for early submission of the proposal. 4.13 Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary Rajasthan Shri. Arindum Tomar, PCCF, Government of Rajasthan apprised the Committee about the proposal. It was informed that the draft ESZ notification of Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 3rd June, 2019. The salient features of the draft Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     326.09 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     125.15 sq km Proposed Extent     :     100 meters to 6.08 kilometre 2.            Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Sirohi district of Rajasthan close to the borders of Gujarat. Mount Abu is a unique ecosystem due to its altitudinal variations. The proposal was earlier considered during the 37th meeting of Expert Committee on ESZ held on 30.09.2019. During the meeting, the Committee asked the State Government to revise the ESZ extent, at least one kilometre from the boundaries of the Sanctuary. The proposal was reconsidered during the 40th meeting of the Expert Committee on ESZ held on 16.03.2020, when the State Government sought deferment stating that  consultation process has been initiated through District Collector, Sirohi. 3.         The PCCF informed that public consultation process has been completed and the report along with the proposal has been submitted to the State Government for approval in July 2020. He further explained that 100 meters’ extent of ESZ has been proposed at limited stretches against periphery of the WLS due to urban development and at rest of the places extent is kept for 1.0 Km with widest maximum extent of ESZ upto 6.08 kilometre. The Comments/objections and suggestions received from persons and stakeholders in response to the draft notification have been duly considered by the State Government. The State was advised to give proper justification for 100 meters’ extent of ESZ and letter from Collector on public consultation to the Ministry at the earliest. 4.         Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the committee recommended for finalization of the draft proposal subject to submission of above information. Further, the State Government was asked to submit the revised proposal for Shergarh, Tal Chapar and National Chambal WLSs, which are pending with the State. Also the State Government was reminded for  Ranthambore ESZ proposal, Sariska Tiger Reserve, Desert National Park and Ramgarh Vishdhari SWLS, which are yet to be submitted by State Govt.  4.14 Mahavir Swami Wildlife Sanctuary Uttar Pradesh Shri Sunil Chaudhary, APCCF, W.L. Forest Department, Government  of Uttar Pradesh apprised the Committee about the proposal. It was informed that the draft

ESZ notification of Mahavir Swami Wildlife Sanctuary was published on 3rd June, 2019. The salient features of the draft Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) are as follows: Area of PA              :     5.4108 sq km Proposed ESZ area :     6.8592 sq km Proposed Extent     :     1 kilometre uniform 2.         Mahavir Swami Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in Lalit Pur district of Uttar Pradesh spread over an area of 5.4108 square kilometres. Previously, the proposal was considered during the 37th meeting of the Expert Committee on ESZ held on 30.09.2019. During the meeting the Committee recommended for finalization of the proposal. Later, based on many representations received from VIPs and public regarding the ambiguity in area of Protected Area(PA), the matter was again considered during the 40th meeting of the Expert Committee held on 16th March, 2020. During the meeting, the State Government representative admitted that there is some discrepancy in the area of PA and the State Government is working on its rationalization. Based on discussions held during the meeting, the Committee asked the State Government to expedite early rationalization of boundaries of PA with proper ground reality/testimony, in commensurate with ESZ area so that final Notification could be issued on time. 3.            During the present meeting,  the State Government has informed that the area of the Sanctuary is correct, as mentioned in the draft notification (i.e. 5.4108 sq km). There were some error in the geo-coordinates and map of the Sanctuary as some area of Madhya Pradesh was wrongly included in the proposed ESZ. The corrected geo-coordinates and map will be submitted to the Ministry soon. The comments/objections and suggestions received from persons and stakeholders in response to the draft notification have been duly considered by the State and replies submitted by the State Government. The corrected geo-coordinates and map has now been submitted by the State Government. 5.            Based on the presentation made and discussions held, the committee recommended for finalization of the draft Notification. While discussing the status of other proposal, the State Government was requested to submit the revised proposal for Sohelwa WLS and Kachchua WLS. In response, the APCCF referred that Kachchua WLS has been de-notified by State Government. Additionally, the State was also asked to submit the pending ESZ proposals of Katerniaghat Sancatuary, Dudhwa National Park, Kishanpur Sanctuary. Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar Bird Sanctuary and Pilibhit Sanctuary to the Ministry at the earliest.  5. Based on the deliberations and discussions held on the draft notifications and also on the comments/suggestions/objections received from stakeholders/public, the Expert Committee recommended the following:   S. No. Protected Area State Recommendation of Expert Committee

1. .          Karnataka Thimlapura Wildlife Sanctuary Committee recommended for finalization of the draft with certain changes.
2. .          Arunachal Pradesh Dibang

Wildlife Sanctuary Committee recommended for finalization of the draft. 3. .          Uttarakhand Nandhaur
Wildlife Sanctuary Committee recommended for finalization of the draft with few correction and verification. 4. .          West Bengal Gorumara National Park Recommended for finalization of the draft with submission of detail clarification on ESZ extent & area. 5. .          Assam Chakrashila Wildlife Sanctuary Committee recommended for finalization of the draft. 6. .          Assam Dehing

Patkai Wildlife Sanctuary Committee recommended for submission of revised draft notification. 7. .          Jharkhand Dalma

Wildlife Sanctuary Committee recommended for submission

of

requisite  information within 20 days for amending the notification. 8. .          Andhra Pradesh Sri Venkateshwara National Park & Wildlife Sanctuary Recommended for submission of the revised proposal. 9. .          Telangana Kesu Brahmananda Reddy National Park Recommended for submission of the revised proposal along with the appropriate write up justification. 10..        Maharashtra Thane

Creek Flamingo Sanctuary Deferred . 11..        Odisha Karlapat

Wildlife Sanctuary Deferred. 12..        Rajasthan Bassi

Wildlife Sanctuary Deferred and suggested for early submission of the proposal with public consultation report. 13..        Rajasthan Mount Abu Wildlife Sanctuary Recommended for finalization of draft notification subject to submission of suitable justification of the 100 meters ESZ extent. 14..        Uttar PradeshMahavir

Swami Wildlife Sanctuary Recommended for finalization of draft notification subject to submission of corrected geo- coordinates and map of the Sanctuary.   Annexure-A

42 nd Expert Committee Meeting on ESZ held on 18.08.2020

List of Participants   S. No. Name Designation & Organization

1.   Shri Ravi Aggarwal Additional Secretary, MoEF&CC
2.   Dr. Satish C. Garkoti Scientist 'G', MoEF&CC
3.   Sh. Lalit Kumar Bokolia Director,  MoEF&CC
4.   Dr. Shruti Rai Bhardwaj Additional Director, MoEF&CC
5.   Dr. Veenu Joon Joint  Director, MoEF&CC
6.   Dr. Shaikhom I Singh Consultant ESZ , MoEF&CC
7.   Dr. S. A. Hussain, Scientist ‘G’, WII, Dehradun
8.   Shri. Sanjay K. Agarwal,    Deputy Director, Forest Survey of India, Dehradun
9.   Vishaish Uppal, Director, WWF India 10.  DR. C. Raghunathan Scientist ‘E’ Zoological Survey of India 11.  Dr. Hitendra Padalia Indian Institute of Remote Sensing (IIRS) 12. 

Dr. K. Chandrasekar, Scientist-E, G.B. Pant National Institute of Himalayan Environment & Sustainable Development 13.  Dr. K. Shankar        Director SACON 14. 

R.K. Singh, Director, DoLR MoRD DoLR MoRD 15. 

Dr. Sanjay Singh, Scientist ‘D’, ICFRE Scientist ‘D’, ICFRE State Govt. 16.  Sh. Arindam Tomar Government of Rajasthan 17.  M.K. Yadav, PCCF, Government of Assam 18.  Ajai Mishra, PCCF Govt. of Karnataka 19.  Shri. H.S. Upadhyaya, CWLW, Govt. of Odisha 20.  Shri. Mihir Biswal, DFO, Govt. of Odisha 21.  Shri. J C Joshi CF Western 22.  Joy Thakur   23.  K. Ranganathan   24. N Prateep Kumar, IFS PCCF, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh

25.  P.V. Chalapathi Rao   26.  Shri. G. Kumar, PCCF, Govt. of Arunachal Pradesh 27.  Pradipta Baruah   28.  Shri. Dr V.N Rajashekhar, Forest Department, Govt. of West Bengal 29.  Shri. S.K Suman, Forest Department, Govt. of Jharkhand 30.  Sanjay Singh   31.  Virendra Tiwari APCCF, Govt. of Maharashtra 32.  Alok Paul Kaisi   33. 

Sri Sidhanand Kukrety, APCCF Prod. Telangana Govt. of Telangana 34.  Ashutosh Jaiswal Govt. of Uttar Pradesh 35.  Sunil Chaudhary, APCCF, W.L. Forest Department Govt. of Uttar Pradesh 36.  Shri. Sunil Chaudhary, APCCF, W.L. Forest Department, Govt. of Uttar Pradesh 37.  CCF Kumaon Govt. of Uttarakhand 38.  Shri. J.S Suhag, APCCF, Govt. of Uttarakhand 39.  CWLW Uttarakhand CWLW, Govt. of Uttarakhand    

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