Environmental threat: Central team to visit Kutch sanctuary

A six-member Central Empowered Committee (CEC) formed by the Supreme Court will start its two-day visit to Kutch Wild Ass Sanctuary from Saturday. The committee will monitor issues such as violation of Environment Protection Act (EPA),1986.

The team will visit Kutch Wild Ass Sanctuary,Kandla,Gandhidham free timber zone and Naliya to look into to complaints made by various NGOs on environmental issues. The committee is headed by P V Jaykrishnan,secretary to Centre in Ministry of Environment and Forest (MoEF),M K Jiwrajka,member secretary of MoEF,Director General (Forests) Dilip Kumar,former chief wildlife warden (Orissa) S K Patnaik,M M Muthut,former member of Food and Agriculture Officer (FAO),and Supreme Court advocate Mahendra Vyas. The committee has the right to take representation of any group,which stands for the protection of environment.

The members will be monitoring the impact of windmills on Great Indian Bustard near Naliya Grasslands. CEC members are primarily visiting Kutch Wild Ass Sanctuary to monitor the impact of power transmission lines Tata and Adani.

They will also examine the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) pipeline including Power Corporation of India transmission line in their inspection,said state forest department Principal Secretary S K Nanda.

“The members’ aim is to select a saw mill zone after Gandhidham has been declared as a timber-free zone in Gujarat other than Haldia. They will meet people and officials at Kandla as well as in Gandhidham to inspect if only imported timber is being used,” said Nanda.