Residents write to CM Mann on Sukhna eco plan

In the wake of a proposed move by the Punjab Forest Department to notify the boundary of eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) around the Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary on the Punjab side, residents of Kansal, Karoran and Nada villages have urged CM Bhagwant Mann to cap the ESZ width at 100 m.

In a representation to the CM, they have claimed that the area around the sanctuary was fully inhabited, developed and densely populated on the Punjab side. The Punjab Forest Department has proposed that the ESZ width should range between 1 km and 3 km.

It has also been pointed out that the master plan of the Nayagoan municipal committee had already been notified. Zonal plans and building plans had also been approved in the area, residents added.

Earlier also, the state government had proposed 100 m ESZ on the Punjab side, but the proposal was rejected by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.