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Chandigarh Skyline In Danger
A Tribune Investigation
Jairam Ramesh orders green probe into Tata’s Camelot
Asks Badal, Shivraj Patil to expedite process to declare area around Sukhna sanctuary an eco-sensitive zone
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 15
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) has ordered a probe into the multi-tower, highrise Camelot project of Tata Housing Development Company (THDC) coming up in the vicinity of Sukhna Lake here.

Based on The Tribune reports on how the Punjab Government bent rules to give a go-ahead to this project since it has 102 Punjab politicians on board, the Environment Ministry has called for an inspection of the Camelot site. The THDC proposes to build 18 multi-storey towers (some having as many as 35 storeys), to overlook Sukhna Lake.

Since the Camelot site falls within the catchment area of the lake, an ecologically sensitive zone because of its proximity to Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh had asked for an inspection report. Its aim: to assess the distance of the Camelot site from the sanctuary and whether construction has begun at the site.

This inspection report, a copy of which is with The Tribune, mentions that six government officials, along with THDC’s general manager (engineering), inspected the site on January 10 to verify the distance of the project from the sanctuary. The team found out that the nearest distance of Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary from the project boundary was 123 metres on the northern side and 183 metres on the eastern side.

The report states that the Camelot site is in the lake’s catchment area, part of which has been declared as a wildlife sanctuary. It also mentions that no construction activity has started at the site though a site office has been constructed and solar panels installed.

The report also mentions that neither the Chandigarh Administration nor Punjab has issued a notification declaring this area as an ecologically sensitive zone. Based on this, it is learnt, Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh, has today written to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and UT Administrator Shivraj Patil asking them to expedite the process to recommend the area around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary as an eco sensitive zone.

Interestingly, though the Chandigarh Administration has been crying itself hoarse against construction activity in the city’s periphery around Sukhna’s catchment area, categorising it as an ecologically sensitive zone, it is yet to issue a notification to the effect. The notification declaring the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary was issued way back in March 1998.

A top UT official, on the condition of anonymity, said that the paper work on the notification was now complete and it would be issued soon.

Meanwhile, Chandigarh Administration officials are peeved at the breach of protocol by the committee that sent the inspection report, which included three administration officials. It is, in fact, now contemplating to send a corrigendum to this inspection report.

A top official in the UT Administration told The Tribune that the report -- prepared by six government officials and the THDC general manager -- was sent to the environment ministry without seeking the approval of DK Tiwari, who was then holding charge of Secretary, Environment.

However, environment ministry officials said that they were not bound to get the approval of the Secretary, Environment, Chandigarh.