CHANDIGARH: The UT administration has hit another hurdle regarding issuing a final notification for declaring Sukhna Lake as wetland under the Wetland (Conservation and Management) Rule, 2017, as the Survey of India has turned down UT’s request of providing lake’s latest map with the scale of 1:5,000.
Recently, the UT administration had written to the Survey of India for latest map of Sukhna Lake and its catchment area that will be used in the final notification declaring Sukhna as a wetland.
In the draft notification, the Chandigarh administration had used Survey of India’s 2004 map, according to which, the area was surveyed and assessed in 1996-97. But one of the objections the UT received was the use of old map. Thereafter, the administration had written to Survey of India to provide latest map with the scale 1:5,000.
However, sources have revealed that the Survey of India, in its response to the administration, has stated that such a map does not exist with them.
Sources added that the UT administration would now look for other options to get a latest map of the lake.
The UT administration had received only four suggestions and objections against the draft notification of Sukhna as a wetland. The Wetland Act implies that encroachments, setting up of any industry, dumping of waste, discharge of untreated waste and effluents from industries and any construction of permanent nature within 50 metres of the wetland will be banned.
On October 21, 2019, the UT administration had issued a draft notification and invited suggestions and objections from the public within 60 days.
The draft notification was issued after getting clearance from the UT law department.
The decision to declare Sukhna as a wetland was taken in July last year by the Chandigarh Wetlands Authority in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Punjab governor and UT administrator V P Singh Badnore. Thereafter, the matter was forwarded to the law department for issuing notification that cleared the same in the first week of October.
Before issuing the draft notification, the UT administration had also included residents of Kaimbwala village in the process under the ‘Friends of Sukhna’ concept.
As the villagers would be directly affected by the notification, the administration wanted to involve them voluntarily in the entire exercise.
Recently, the UT administration had written to the Survey of India for latest map of Sukhna Lake and its catchment area that will be used in the final notification declaring Sukhna as a wetland.
In the draft notification, the Chandigarh administration had used Survey of India’s 2004 map, according to which, the area was surveyed and assessed in 1996-97. But one of the objections the UT received was the use of old map. Thereafter, the administration had written to Survey of India to provide latest map with the scale 1:5,000.
However, sources have revealed that the Survey of India, in its response to the administration, has stated that such a map does not exist with them.
Sources added that the UT administration would now look for other options to get a latest map of the lake.
The UT administration had received only four suggestions and objections against the draft notification of Sukhna as a wetland. The Wetland Act implies that encroachments, setting up of any industry, dumping of waste, discharge of untreated waste and effluents from industries and any construction of permanent nature within 50 metres of the wetland will be banned.
On October 21, 2019, the UT administration had issued a draft notification and invited suggestions and objections from the public within 60 days.
The draft notification was issued after getting clearance from the UT law department.
The decision to declare Sukhna as a wetland was taken in July last year by the Chandigarh Wetlands Authority in a meeting held under the chairmanship of Punjab governor and UT administrator V P Singh Badnore. Thereafter, the matter was forwarded to the law department for issuing notification that cleared the same in the first week of October.
Before issuing the draft notification, the UT administration had also included residents of Kaimbwala village in the process under the ‘Friends of Sukhna’ concept.
As the villagers would be directly affected by the notification, the administration wanted to involve them voluntarily in the entire exercise.
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