Centre notifies 1.85 Km area around Ramnagar Wildlife sanctuary as ESZ

Srinagar: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified 1.85 kilometre area around the boundary of Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary as an eco-sensitive zone.

The peripheral area around the sanctuary was declared as an ESZ after the government had invited objections/suggestions from the public over the draft proposal in October last year.

“The eco-sensitive zone shall be to an extent of 0 (zero) kilometre to 1.850 kilometres around the boundary of Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary and the area of the eco-sensitive zone is 10.73 square kilometres. Zero extent of eco-sensitive zone towards south, south-west and west side is due to the existing Jammu city municipal area prevailing since generations,” reads the notification.

The Ramnagar Wildlife Sanctuary falls within the civil jurisdiction of district Jammu in and comprises compartments 1 to 4 of the Ramnagar block of Jammu Forest Division.

The sanctuary was notified on 10th April, 1990. It is under the administrative control of Department of Wildlife Protection, Jammu and Kashmir Government and is managed through Wildlife Division Jammu.

This wildlife protected area is repository of rich assemblage of floral and faunal diversity.

According to the notification, The Union territory government shall, for the purposes of the eco-sensitive zone, prepare a zonal master plan within a period of two years from the date of publication of this notification in the official gazette, in consultation with local people.

The notification also reveals that a monitoring headed by deputy commissioner Jammu has been constituted to monitor implementation of ESZ notification. —(KNO)