New Delhi: The Supreme Court constituted Central Empowered Committee (CEC) after a site inspection in the Okhla Bird Sanctuary today has ordered the concerned departments to remove all illegal constructions. The petition was filed by Faiyaz. A. Khudsar of the Biodiversity Conservation Trust of India in 2004 seeking legal protection from the illegal constructions in the Sanctuary.

The petitioner highlighted the violations of the Supreme Court order, which prohibits removal of grass, trees and fishing in the Sanctuary. At the hearing, a number of officials including the Chief Wildlife Warden, Divisional Forest Officer, the District Magistrate, the additional CEO of Noida authority and the Department of Irrigation were present. The District administration admitted to the violation and assured the CEC of immediate action.

This judgment has come in a crucial moment in view of the developmental activities carried out close to the sanctuary. Recently, the Left Afflux Bund road has been widened, which borders the sanctuary and another road was under construction in the park that leads to a crematorium.

According to the petitioner’s counsel Ritwick Dutta, who is also a legal advisor of WTI, “This decision and the site inspection will send a message that all departments of the government are bound to follow the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act.”

The sanctuary has been mired by a number of issues that contributed to the dilapidation of this sensitive ecology. One of the concerns was the fishing license issued by the Zilla Panchayat of the Gautam Buddh Nagar. This encouraged influx of people, boats and nets, which adversely affected the wildlife. Encroachments in the riverine habitat, farming, vehicular pollution and toxic industrial waste released in the river Yamuna threatened the existence of migratory birds.

On February 04, mass mortality of migratory birds reported in the sanctuary. A team of experts from the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and the forest officials have recovered 47 dead birds, comprising 40 shovellers, which is a winter migrant of the area. Toxic wastes of the river Yamuna was considered as the cause of deaths.

In August 2004, WTI initiated a Rapid Action Project (RAP) to study the impacts caused by the developmental activities and to assist in the legal process.