CEC member visits Bannerghatta National Park, interacts with farmers

Chandra Prakash Goyal, subordinate of the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), constituted by the Supreme Court, connected Friday visited the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP).

The sojourn came successful the aftermath of a petition against the simplification of Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) astir the nationalist park.

Mr. Goyal made a tract sojourn to interact with the section farmers and the petitioners who person approached the Supreme Court. The petition argued that the notification regarding the simplification of the ESZ has excluded ecologically captious areas surrounding established elephant corridors from the ESZ and that the adoption of a one-km ESZ norm for the protected country of the wood ignores site-specific ecological requirements.

He was besides briefed by elder Forest Department officials, including Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Head of Forest Force Meenakshi Negi.

Mr. Goyal said that BNP is simply a precise important nationalist parkland arsenic acold arsenic Karnataka is concerned.

“Every nationalist parkland has an ESZ, and BNP besides has one. There was a petition successful the Supreme Court regarding immoderate variations successful the earlier notification that was published successful 2016 and what came arsenic the last notification successful 2020. So the petition is that the quality betwixt the country of 2016 and 2020 is simply a spot detrimental to the wildlife and peculiarly to the elephants which request to beryllium looked into. That petition has present been transferred to the CEC which I americium a portion of for putting up a study earlier the Supreme Court,” Mr. Goyal said.

Hearing connected Jan. 7

Mr. Goyal said that the adjacent proceeding is coming up connected January 7 and that the study would beryllium submitted earlier the hearing.

“Panel volition taxable the proposal and we volition effort our champion to springiness immoderate ecological semblance to the report,” helium added.

Responding to a question connected amerciable mining activities astir the BNP, Mr. Goyal said, “Mining is banned wrong 1 km of the nationalist parkland oregon for that substance immoderate protected country truthful if it is falling wrong 1 km, the medication volition instrumentality a call.”

Farmers’ plea

Somashekar, a husbandman from Kadajakkanahalli village, said that Anekal taluk was erstwhile known arsenic the Ragi Bowl of Karnataka. However, during rampant encroachment successful the vicinity, the arable onshore is shrinking and farmers are losing their livelihood.

Another husbandman Shivashankar from Hindalwadi colony said that large-scale lodging colonies astir the BNP were being constructed by politicians violating situation norms.