<p>Disregarding objections from conservationists and BJP MPs from Bengaluru, the Centre has reduced the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) to 168.84 sq km and shrunk the buffer zone by 100 sq km.</p>.<p>Notifying the fresh extent of ESZ around BNP, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Wednesday stated: “The ESZ shall be to an extent of 100 meters to 1.0 km around the boundary of the BNP and the area of the ESZ is 168.84 sq km.”</p>.<p>In an notification issued in 2016, the MoEF&CC had notified an area of 268.9 sq km as the ESZ around BNP.</p>.<p>Conservationists said the 2016 notification was allowed to lapse deliberately due to the state government’s stiff opposition as it did not submit its views sought by the Centre. </p>.<p>Rajya Sabha MP from Bengaluru Rajeev Chandrasekhar had in fact written to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday, urging him not to reduce the ESZ area around BNP. Earlier, BJP parliamentarian from Bangalore South Tejasvi Surya and Bangalore Central parliamentarian P C Mohan had also spoken against the reduction of ESZ around BNP.</p>.<p>Yediyurappa had written a detailed letter to the environment minister Prakash Javadekar last month to speed up issuing the notification, contending that the delay was affecting developmental activities.</p>.<p>The notification bans commercial mining, stone quarrying and setting up stone crushing units within the ESZ.</p>.<p>Environmentalists had petitioned the government to finalise an ESZ for Bannerghatta to stop illegal mining and quarrying outside the park for several years.</p>.<p>Throwing light on the issue of ESZ around Bannerghatta, <span class="italic">DH</span> had published an Insight story ‘Reduction of Bannerghatta ESZ, for whose benefit?’ in its edition dated December 15, 2018. The first effort to create a legally protected buffer zone around Bannerghatta came in 2016 when the central ministry issued a draft notification declaring 268.9 sq km outside the park (the width varying between 100 metres and 4.5 km) as the ESZ. In May 2018, the state forest department sent a fresh draft ESZ proposal, which was the basis for the new draft notification issued by the Centre in October.</p>
<p>Disregarding objections from conservationists and BJP MPs from Bengaluru, the Centre has reduced the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP) to 168.84 sq km and shrunk the buffer zone by 100 sq km.</p>.<p>Notifying the fresh extent of ESZ around BNP, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on Wednesday stated: “The ESZ shall be to an extent of 100 meters to 1.0 km around the boundary of the BNP and the area of the ESZ is 168.84 sq km.”</p>.<p>In an notification issued in 2016, the MoEF&CC had notified an area of 268.9 sq km as the ESZ around BNP.</p>.<p>Conservationists said the 2016 notification was allowed to lapse deliberately due to the state government’s stiff opposition as it did not submit its views sought by the Centre. </p>.<p>Rajya Sabha MP from Bengaluru Rajeev Chandrasekhar had in fact written to Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Wednesday, urging him not to reduce the ESZ area around BNP. Earlier, BJP parliamentarian from Bangalore South Tejasvi Surya and Bangalore Central parliamentarian P C Mohan had also spoken against the reduction of ESZ around BNP.</p>.<p>Yediyurappa had written a detailed letter to the environment minister Prakash Javadekar last month to speed up issuing the notification, contending that the delay was affecting developmental activities.</p>.<p>The notification bans commercial mining, stone quarrying and setting up stone crushing units within the ESZ.</p>.<p>Environmentalists had petitioned the government to finalise an ESZ for Bannerghatta to stop illegal mining and quarrying outside the park for several years.</p>.<p>Throwing light on the issue of ESZ around Bannerghatta, <span class="italic">DH</span> had published an Insight story ‘Reduction of Bannerghatta ESZ, for whose benefit?’ in its edition dated December 15, 2018. The first effort to create a legally protected buffer zone around Bannerghatta came in 2016 when the central ministry issued a draft notification declaring 268.9 sq km outside the park (the width varying between 100 metres and 4.5 km) as the ESZ. In May 2018, the state forest department sent a fresh draft ESZ proposal, which was the basis for the new draft notification issued by the Centre in October.</p>
