Last Updated: September 01, 2022, 20:20 IST
File photo of Sanjay Gandhi National Park. (Image: wikipedia)
However, the forest department on Tuesday said that new projects will have to follow the restrictions in the ESZ around the SGNP
Giving some respite to architects in Mumbai and Thane, the forest department has said that the curbs of construction activity within one kilometer of the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) will not be applicable to projects that are underway.
Earlier, the panel that approves developmental works in the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Sanjay Gandhi National Park had stated that even the projects that are undergoing should be halted. Architect Manoj Daisaria was quoted as saying by the Times of India, “The clarification will give relief to many ongoing projects in Mumbai and Thane wherein already permissions are granted.”
However, the forest department Tuesday said that new projects will have to follow the restrictions in the ESZ around the SGNP. It also mentioned that the Supreme Court directive is not violated.
A leading developer told TOI, “It will also give relief to flat purchasers who invested their hard-earned money near the SGNP”.
In June this year, the Supreme Court issued a directive that each protected forest, including national parks and wildlife sanctuaries, must have an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of one kilometer and banned mining activities within such parks across the nation. Issuing a slew of directions, a bench headed by Justice L Nageswara Rao had on June 3 ordered that no permanent structure will be allowed within such ESZs and said if the local law or other rules provide for an ESZ of more than one kilometer then the earlier provision would continue to apply.
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