GUWAHATI: The Gauhati High Court has issued an order regarding the declaration of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) for the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary in Assam.
The case, with the reference PIL/18/2023, involves petitioners Pramod Kalita and two others versus the Union of India and 17 others.
The petitioners, identified as Pramod Kalita, Sonesh Teron, and Dipak Terang, all residents of Kamrup district, have raised concerns about environmental issues related to Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary.
Pramod Kalita, a cattle farmer, and the other two individuals, both engaged in farming and self-business, are seeking action from the authorities.
The respondents include the Union of India, Ministry of Indian Railways, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, State of Assam, Chief Secretary of Assam, and various other Government bodies responsible for environmental management and wildlife preservation.
The court, comprising Chief Justice (Acting) Lanusungkum Jamir and Justice Suman Shyam, issued the order on December 7, 2023.
The order addresses a compliance report submitted by K.P Pathak, standing counsel of the Forest Department, on November 23, 2023.
According to the compliance report, a proposal for the approval of the revised draft Notification for declaring the Eco-Sensitive Zone of the Deepor Beel Wildlife Sanctuary was presented to the Cabinet Meeting on November 16, 2023.
However, the Cabinet requested modifications and sought clarifications on the draft, and the matter is currently under review.
As a response to this, the court has scheduled the next hearing for January 18, 2024.
If the notification for the declaration of the Eco-Sensitive Zone is not issued by that date, the concerned Secretary has been directed to file an affidavit explaining the reasons for the delay and outlining the progress made to date.
Meanwhile, the State Pollution Control Board and the Water Resource Department have been instructed to file their respective affidavits in the meantime.