Tribune News Service
Panchkula 12 April
Haryana’s State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) has cancelled the environment clearance within a 10-km radius from the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary.
This decision will likely affect construction activity in the newly developed Sectors 27, 28 and 30, DLF of Mansa Devi Complexe, Pinjore, Amravati Enclave and many societies of Sector 20 Panchkula or Peer Muchalla.
Sameer Pal, chairman of SEIAA, stated that the sanctuary was damaged because of construction within the 10-km radius.
Some Amravati Enclave residents filed a complaint to the SEIAA about environmental clearance. The hearing was ongoing for a while.
Srow cancelled the environmental clearance and considered the area within a 10-km radius from the sanctuary to be a threat.
The SEIAA, an arm of Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, is responsible for implementing an environment impact assessment notification at state level. It examines all proposals in relation to environment clearance.
The majority of the 10-km area in Panchkula was developed. Meetings were held at the administrative level where officials stated that construction should not be permitted beyond 300 meters from the sanctuary. A Panchkula Deputy Commissioner had also submitted a proposal.
The SEIAA has formed a committee to determine the eco-sensitive area. The committee would inspect the sanctuary to identify the zone and then take further action. The National Green Tribunal will be notified after the committee has presented its report.
It is important to mention that in 2017, a proposal was sent to the Central Government to notify a one-and-a half-km area surrounding the sanctuary as an eco-sensitive zone. Chandigarh and Haryana had already agreed.