Government Issues Notification Demarcating Eco-Sensitive Zone Around Okhla Bird Sanctuary

New Delhi: Government on Wednesday issued the final notification demarcating the Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Okhla bird sanctuary giving a big relief to thousands of home buyers in Noida and its vicinity as their apartments will now fall out of the new notified area.

"The final notification declaring Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Okhla bird sanctuary has been issued by Government of India in the Gazette of India vide S/o-2262 (E) dated August 19th, 2015. The final notification has been issued after following due procedure of law," an official statement said.

Briefing the reporters, Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar said that the notification was issued within 24-hours after the National Board of Wild Life (NBWL) cleared the process of demarcating the ESZ yesterday during its meeting.

After the issuance of the notification today, home buyers outside the ESZ will be able to get occupancy certificates of their flats, which had been pending for quite some time as the NGT had passed an order barring development of any infrastructure within 10-km radius from the sanctuary's boundary.

The ESZ in the Okhla Bird Sanctuary will be the area up to 100 metres from the eastern, western and southern boundary and up to 1.27 km from the northern boundary of the Okhla Bird Sanctuary, which extends up to DND flyover across the riverbed situated in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district and southeast district of NCT Delhi.

The NBWL on Tuesday cleared the draft notification of ESZ which was done (earlier) after due diligence on September 24, 2014. Mr Javadekar said that this will come as a major relief to the people who have booked their flats in the area who were paying both EMI and rent.

"The final notification has been published in the Gazette. From our end the action is over. This was a genuine problem. We have ended the confusion. This is 62nd such notification of ESZ of a protected area," Mr Javadekar said.

Union Minister Mahesh Sharma who hails from the Noida region, also met Javadekar and thanked him on behalf of the 3.50 lakh people who had booked flats there.

Mr Javadekar said that although the draft notification was issued earlier, the NGT had said that for this case specifically, it needed a consultation of the NBWL which was done yesterday and cleared.

Okhla Bird Sanctuary is at the Okhla barrage over Yamuna river and is situated in Gautam Buddh Nagar district on Delhi-Uttar Pradesh state border. It is known as a haven for over 300 bird species, especially water birds.

Mr Javadekar said that the country has around 500 protected areas in the country and ESZ is an additional ring where some activities is prohibited, some regulated and some green activities promoted.

"Out of 500, more than 250 we have approved and they are in different stages of issuance of notification," he said.

Mr Sharma said that most of those who had booked the flats belonged to middle class and were paying both EMI and rent and this decision will bring back the smile on their faces.

He said that he will also take up the issue of circle rates with the Uttar Pradesh government.

"We will take up the matter of circle rates with UP government. I would like to complement on behalf of 3.50 lakh people of Noida for bringing a smile to their faces. They were sufferers for no fault of theirs. They were paying double charges (EMI) and house rent," Mr Sharma said.