SC appointed CEC member visits Bannerghatta National Park over plea against reduction of ESZ
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Bengaluru (PTI): A member of the Supreme Court-appointed Central Empowered Committee on Friday visited Bannerghatta National Park in connection with a petition challenging the reduction of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the protected area.
CEC member Chandra Prakash Goyal visited the park and held meetings with forest department officials to assess the potential ecological impact of the revised ESZ notification.
A senior official from the forest department said that Goyal visited the park and heard concerns of the parties involved, who also made presentations before him.
The petition filed by K. Belliappa and others in May 2025, contended that the notification reducing the ESZ, excluded ecologically sensitive areas around established elephant corridors, thereby weakening wildlife protection.
It also argued that the application of a uniform one-km ESZ norm for Bannerghatta National Park failed to take into account site-specific ecological requirements.
Speaking to reporters here, CEC member Goyal said this is a very important national park for Karnataka, particularly in the context of Bengaluru, as it lies along one side of the city. Like all national parks, it has an eco-sensitive zone (ESZ).
"There was a petition before the Supreme Court concerning variations between the ESZ notifications issued in 2016 and the final notification published in 2020. The petition contends that the reduction in the ESZ area in the 2020 notification is detrimental to wildlife, especially elephants, and that needs to be looked into," he said.
According to him, the matter has now been referred to the Central Empowered Committee (CEC), of which he is a member, to submit a report to the Supreme Court.
"My visit is primarily for compiling data and figures before finalising and submitting the particular report."
Responding to a question on the differences between the 2016 and 2020 notifications, he said, "The basic difference is that the width of the buffer zone was reduced from 4.5 km to 1 km, even 100 meters from the boundary of the national park in some portions. It has been reduced."
While the earlier notification covered ESZ about 290 square kilometres, the revised notification covers around 168 square kilometres. That is the key difference," he explained.
He further said that according to the petitioners, some ecologically important patches have been left out.
Goyal noted that reports submitted to the SC are prepared strictly based on data and technical details to support the committee’s recommendations.
"The case is scheduled to come up for hearing on January 7, and the report will be submitted before that," he said.
Addressing allegations that the reduction of the ESZ has facilitated the development of several resorts and layouts, including government housing layouts developed by the Karnataka Housing Development Board, he said these claims were mentioned in the briefing. However, it would be important to examine whether such developments took place before or after the 2020 notification, as that would change the nature of the issue.
On land acquisition concerns raised by farmers, who claimed that since 2013 they have been under pressure from the government to surrender their land, claiming a premeditated and organised effort to acquire land adjacent to the forest, he said, “We will look into these allegations. The panel will place its recommendations before the court. The government of Karnataka and the petitioners will also present their views, and we will try our best to ensure the report has sound ecological reasoning,” he said.
He also clarified that mining is banned within one kilometre of any national park or protected area. If any mining activity falls within that limit, it would be for the administration to take appropriate action.
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Experience comes when you play bigger teams in bilateral series: Rashid Khan
Chennai (PTI): Afghanistan skipper Rashid Khan called for more bilateral series against stronger cricketing nations after his team signed off from the T20 World Cup on a high, defeating Canada in their final group match here on Thursday.
Afghanistan played some exhilarating cricket, going down to South Africa in a gripping second Super Over after the scores were tied, a humdinger that provided one of the early thrills of the World Cup.
However, the spin-bowling stalwart said Afghanistan could make significant strides if they get regular opportunities to compete against stronger cricketing nations.
"Couple of areas to improve, with the batting, the middle order got a bit stuck against the big teams, and then with the bowling the death overs. That comes when you play the bigger teams in bilateral series," said Rashid after his team defeat Canada by 82 runs, with him returning excellent figures of 2 for 19.
The stalwart said the side had arrived well prepared for the tournament and produced some breathtaking cricket, but admitted the narrow defeat to South Africa proved costly and remained a painful setback.
"We were well-prepared (for the tournament), we played some unbelievable cricket. The game against South Africa, that really hurt everyone. We had to win one of those (first two) games and see how the tournament unfolded. We'll take some positive things from this World Cup and look forward," he said.
With head coach Jonathan Trott set to part ways with the team, Rashid described the departure as an "emotional" moment for the side.
"I think we had some wonderful times with him. Where we are now, he played a main role. It's emotional to see him leave us, but that's how life is. We wish him all the best and somewhere down the line we see him again."
Ibrahim Zadran, who was named Player of the Match for his unbeaten 95 off 56 balls, said it was satisfying to finally register a substantial score after two below-par outings.
"I enjoyed it, didn't play better cricket in first two innings, which I expect. Wanted to back my skills, really enjoyed it. Pressure was there, it's there all the time. I want to put myself in pressure situations and enjoy it," said Zadran.
"Wanted to play positive cricket, rotate strike and punish bad ball, create partnerships and this is what I have done."
