The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Wednesday directed the Principal Secretary of Forest and Wildlife Department, Uttar Pradesh to be present before the court in connection with the plea filed by Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal for the protection of Ecology and Biodiversity of Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary in the state.
The NGT was irked by the fact that the Uttar Pradesh government did not pass the final notification, declaring Hastinapur Wildlife Area as a Sanctuary. Therefore, the tribunal has directed the personal presence of the official to explain the delay.
Bansal has filed the petition for the protection of Ecology and Biodiversity of Hastinapur Wildlife Sanctuary. The petition states that various industries are situated within the Sanctuary and are hampering its Ecology.
Bansal has also placed before the tribunal, a report of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) which states that endangered species like swamp deer and hog deer were at risk due to high human presence and forest fires in the sanctuary.
The report further stated, "A large proportion of Hastinapur sanctuary lies within very high human use area. Instead of diluting efforts in managing a large wildlife sanctuary that is predominantly under human use, management interventions should focus on intensively managing these identified critical wildlife habitats.
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