Structures in gated community next to sanctuary demolished

It was purely a commercial venture falling within the ESZ, say activists
Woodies, a gated community enclave that has come up near Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary
Woodies, a gated community enclave that has come up near Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary

BENGALURU: A ‘gated community’ that came up in the guise of an organic farm on the boundary of Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary has dismantled most of commercial amenities after receiving notice from the state forest department.
The Woodies Organic Farm, a commercial residential project that started construction in 2015, is just 200m from a water hole and next to the wildlife sanctuary boundary. It has raised the hackles of wildlife activists as they said the commercial structures would seriously threaten the survival of many wildlife species in this fragile and fragmented protected area (PA).
So, the gated community, falling within the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ), received notice from the DCF of the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary in August this year. The notice said any further construction should be stopped and any commercial structure that had been built as part of a residential farm should be dismantled.

Speaking to Express, Pashupati, Project Manager, Woodies Organic Farm, said after receiving the notice, they had demolished the amphitheatre, basketball court and were in the process of demolishing the semi-constructed swimming pool.
He added, “It will now be a purely organic farm. We have applied for permission to the DC for residential purposes for a house built on 5,000sqft of land. We were not aware that permission and clearances had to be sought for the luxury amenities that we had built. The Chikayalur Gram Panchayat’s permission had been taken for this project. We had invested about `50-60 lakh and now incurred a loss of `20 lakh for the demolitions.”

Arun of Woodies Organic Farm said, “We are an organic farm venture propagating this concept and planted 12,000 saplings of various species including timber, fruit and flower-bearing trees in 2015.  We have in fact, turned this area green by planting so many species. We have constructed a ‘Thotti Mane’(a traditional house) where friends and others can come and stay and practise organic farming.”
Rejecting their claims, activists said, “This was purely a commercial venture falling within the ESZ and so requiring approval from the State Wildlife Board, National Board of Wildlife and the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF).

“As it is, under ESZ, land conversion to non-agriculture activities is not allowed. As per the Environment Protection Act-1986, structures over 20,000sqm, need to get Environmental Impact Assessment done.
“Construction work was initiated with no prior permission. MoEF clearances were not sought by this Bengaluru-based realtor who had extensively advertised about their gated community on their website to attract unwary customers. With poaching and forest fires already taking a serious toll on wildlife, mushrooming of such commercial ventures should be stopped near PAs keeping in mind the norms and regulations.”
DCF Cauvery Wildlife Division Ramesh Kumar was not available for his comment.

Fragile Habitat
Spread across the districts of Ramnagara, Chamarajnagar and Mandya districts, the Cauvery Wildlife Sanctuary supports a healthy population of tigers, elephants, leopards as well as a healthy prey base of deer, sambars and antelopes. Cauvery, which bifurcates the sanctuary and is an important lifeline of this PA, supports a diversified aquatic fauna, predominant species being crocodiles, soft shell turtles, otters and masheer fish. With its proximity to Bengaluru, the sanctuary attracts tourists, resulting in untold pressures on thewildlife species in a fragile landscape.

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