CEC member visits Bannerghatta National Park, interacts with farmers

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

The visit came in the wake of a petition against the reduction of Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the national park.

Mr. Goyal made a field visit to interact with the local farmers and the petitioners who have approached the Supreme Court. The petition argued that the notification regarding the reduction of the ESZ has excluded ecologically critical areas surrounding established elephant corridors from the ESZ and that the adoption of a one-km ESZ norm for the protected area of the forest ignores site-specific ecological requirements.

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

Mr. Goyal said that BNP is a very important national park as far as Karnataka is concerned.

“Every national park has an ESZ, and BNP also has one. There was a petition in the Supreme Court regarding some variations in the earlier notification that was published in 2016 and what came as the final notification in 2020. So the petition is that the difference between the area of 2016 and 2020 is a bit detrimental to the wildlife and particularly to the elephants which need to be looked into. That petition has now been transferred to the CEC which I am a part of for putting up a report before the Supreme Court,” Mr. Goyal said.

Hearing on Jan. 7

Mr. Goyal said that the next hearing is coming up on January 7 and that the report would be submitted before the hearing.

“Panel will submit the recommendation and we will try our best to give some ecological semblance to the report,” he added.

Responding to a question on illegal mining activities around the BNP, Mr. Goyal said, “Mining is banned within one km of the national park or for that matter any protected area so if it is falling within one km, the administration will take a call.”

Farmers’ plea

Somashekar, a farmer from Kadajakkanahalli village, said that Anekal taluk was once known as the Ragi Bowl of Karnataka. However, during rampant encroachment in the vicinity, the arable land is shrinking and farmers are losing their livelihood.

Another farmer Shivashankar from Hindalwadi village said that large-scale housing colonies around the BNP were being constructed by politicians violating environment norms.