Shimla, Nov 18, 2020
Union government declared the area around the Nargu Wildlife Sanctuary in Himachal Pradesh as an eco-sensitive zone through a draft notification issued recently.
The Nargu wildlife sanctuary is spread across 132 square kilometres in Mandi and Kullu districts. It hosts animals such as leopards, barking deer, black bear, ghoral, jackal and flying squirrel and birds such as Himalayan monal, white crested kalij and chukor.
The flora found in the sanctuary includes deodar, kharsu, fir, maple, rhododendron, ban and several other tree species.
About 50 square km of area around the sanctuary has been declared as eco-sensitive
zone in the draft notification, which includes 17 revenue villages in Jogindernagar and
Mandi forest divisions.
The extent of the zone varies from zero to one kilometer around the boundary of the
sanctuary (it is zero where the sanctuary is contiguous with the adjoining Dhauladhar
wildlife sanctuary).
The draft notification has been published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change, and any person interested in making objections or suggestions to it
may do so within the stipulated time frame. Once the final notification is published, the Himachal government would be required to prepare a zonal master plan for regulating development in the eco-sensitive zone.
Several activities, such as commercial mining, setting of pollution-causing industries or brick kilns, establishment of a major hydro-electric project, use of polythene bags and discharge of untreated effluents will be prohibited in the notified zone.
Some other activities such as building hotels, felling trees, civic infrastructure and tourism would be regulated and activities such as rain water harvesting and organic farming would be promoted in the zone. For effective implementation, a monitoring committee will also be formed, notification maintains.