HYDERABAD: IT’S not just KBR Park. A similar fate awaits at least three other protected forests in the State —Mrugavani National Park, Eturnagaram wildlife sanctuary and Pranahita wildlife sanctuary. The last two are home to endangered species like Tigers and Blackbucks.
Telangana government’s modus operandi
Waiting for initial draft notification of a protected forest area to expire, without pushing for its finalisation within the stipulated 545 days, and later coming out with a new draft notification with the ESZ drastically reduced seems to have become modus operandi of Telangana government to get their way around environmental regulations.
Similar to the KBR National Park, first draft notification of Eturunagaram, Pranahita and Mrugavani was declared in 2015. However, as per rules, the notification should have been finalized within 545 days of its publication which has not been done. Hence, Telangana forest department will have to come up with new draft notifications. As per reports, the SEZ in these protected areas are to be reduced drastically like in case of KBR.
MoEF complicity?
While the State government can be blamed for reducing ESZ in its new notification, what stops the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests(MoEF)? In case of all three sanctuaries, the expert committee gave a go-ahead nod to finalise the draft notification in 2016, but it has not been done till now. As per minutes of the meeting of MoEF’s Expert Committee on ESZ accessed by Express.