In a move that could save Vedanthangal bird sanctuary, Tamil Nadu Chief Wildlife Warden (CWLW) has decided to "withdraw forever" the proposal to rationalise the boundaries of the country's oldest bird sanctuary.
The CWLW Shekhar Kumar Niraj has written to the T.N. Environment and Forests Secretary Supriya Sahu that keeping the ecological security and habitat ecology in view, the proposal submitted by the previous CWLW during the AIADMK government's rule in 2020, may be considered withdrawn forever.
Early in 2020, the Tamil Nadu Forest Department was planning to denotify a portion of the Vedanthangal bird sanctuary in Chengalpattu district. There were reports that the move was to benefit industrial and real estate development around the lake. The issue soon snowballed into a major controversy.
The then Chief Wildlife Warden, however, clarified that the proposal was merely to demarcate the sanctuary and delineate an eco-sensitive zone. That proposal was to reduce the buffer zone of the Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary from 5 km surrounding the main tank area of 29.51 ha to 3 km, in which first 1 km was to be notified as core zone including main lake / tank and next 2 km boundary to be notified as buffer zone, and to denotify the outer 2 km zone of the existing 5 km.
Now, Mr. Niraj, the present chief wildlife warden, has stated that Vedanthangal was the oldest water bird sanctuary declared in the year 1936 in the State of Tamil Nadu. Vedanthangal Bird Sanctuary is also known as the oldest bird sanctuary in India. Vedanthangal was notified as RF in 1963 under Madras Act LBB2. The sanctuary was finally notified under section 26 (l) of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 in the year 1998.
"Bird census conducted year after year indicated the presence of about 28,000 land and water birds visiting this prestigious wetland sanctuary. Hence, it is felt that if the existing boundary of Vedanthangal bird sanctuary is reduced, biodiversity and integrity of the sanctuary as signified by water bird habitat will be adversely affected, which may also result in reduction of water birds and the water regime itself, in the long run. Hence, such a proposal may have bad consequences," he wrote in his letter urging the TN Forests secretary to consider the old proposal withdrawn forever.