HYDERABAD: It's official. The new draft notification on Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of KBR National Park plans to shrink its outer walkway to a mere 3 metres from the current 25m to 30m. The move, that seems to have been taken with upcoming SRDP project in mind, is likely to not just impact walkers and patrons but also the ecology of the national park.
According to the new document, the ESZ around the protected forest area now varies massively between 3 and 29.8 metres from one location to another. State’s Principal Chief Conservator of Forests PK Jha presented the draft at the 30th meeting of Expert Committee on ESZ of Ministry of Environment and Forests in New Delhi last month. The Committee has recommended the publication of the new draft notification.
This means the notification will be put up in the public domain for people to read and give suggestions. Earlier, in December 2015, the Environment ministry published a draft notification that fixed 25 to 35 metres around the forest as ESZ. However, this notification was not finalised within the stipulated time of 545 days since its publication. It lapsed last year and forests department was tasked with the demarcation process and preparation of a new notification. This time, the department seems to have planned the sensitive zones keeping the mega Strategic Road Development Project of TS government in mind.
The move means the government can now take away portions of the national park’s walkway for the road development project, chop down a whopping 1,394 trees and thereby allow thousands of vehicles circle around the park, choking the air and ecosystem, say activists. City-based environmentalists are planning to sensitise the public about the damages this move can cause to city’s green lung space.
Reasoning behind the narrow ESZ
As per minutes of the Expert Committee meeting accessed by Express, TS PCCF reasoned that KBR National Park is located in the densely populated area of Hyderabad, surrounded with commercial and residential establishments. He also mentioned that it is fully protected all around with a 3m ornamental grill, eliminating biotic pressures on the park