10-km eco-ring around BNP

BANGALORE: If you have any plans of either expanding your industry or buying a site adjacent to the Bannerghatta National Park (BNP), shelve them.
The Karnataka forest department will soon declare the area up to 10 km from the national park border as an eco-sensitive zone. The Supreme Court notification is expected to come in two months and it had directed in 2002 the state government to create safe zones around the national park to strengthen protection measures.
Spread across 102 sqkm of area, the Bannerghatta forest, situated 22 km from here, harbours the endangered Asiatic elephants, leopards, wild dogs and herds of herbivorous animals.Known as the concluding point of the Mysore Elephant Corridor, the Bannerghatta forest is presently facing pressure of 'urban sprawl' around its vicinity.
Encroachment, vehicle movement and quarrying activities have been causing great danger to the pristine flora and fauna of this forest. "We are formulating the draft for implementation of a sensitive zone in all the five national parks of the state, including the Bannerghatta National Park," principal chief conservator of forests Avani Kumar Varma told STOI.
The declaration of a eco-sensitive zone would not mean any evacuation of industries or demolishing the buildings under construction. Once the notification is implemented, no new industries will be allowed to come up. Expansion of any industries should need a green signal from the Centre.
toiblr.reporter@timesgroup.com