Today, On 23rd July, The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a petition highlighting alleged illegal constructions inside Odisha’s Satkosia Tiger Reserve. CJI Gavai said, “Will consider the matter,” after Advocate Gaurav Bansal raised the issue before the Bench.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear a petition regarding concerns over alleged illegal constructions within the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha.
A bench led by Chief Justice B R Gavai, along with Justices K V Viswanathan and Joymalya Bagchi, was approached by advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, who emphasized the need for the case to be addressed.
The bench stated that it would consider the matter on a future date.
Bansal raised alarms about reported permissions granted by local authorities for eco-tourism construction within the protected area.
He questioned,
“The district collector has issued such permissions for construction of an eco-tourism spot. How can this be permitted?”
He added,
“I am just fighting for forests.”
The Satkosia Tiger Reserve, which spans the districts of Angul, Cuttack, Nayagarh, and Boudh in Odisha, is a vital habitat for tigers, elephants, and various endangered species.
Satkosia Tiger Reserve is a well-known wildlife sanctuary and protected area located in the state of Odisha, India. It was officially designated as a Tiger Reserve in 2007 and is spread across four districts: Angul, Nayagarh, Boudh, and Cuttack.
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The Odisha government canceled the tender initiated for the construction of a high-level bridge over the Mahanadi River, situated near the ecologically sensitive Satkosia Tiger Reserve.
This decision comes after it was revealed that the bridge project had been proposed without securing the necessary approvals from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), as reported by this newspaper.
Sources within the Works Department indicated that the chief engineer for bridges canceled the tender issued on March 28, citing the need to adhere to the proper procedures for obtaining all required statutory clearances before proceeding in the ecologically sensitive area.
The bridge was intended to be built with an investment of Rs.131.51 crore, aimed at linking the Narsinghpur-Baliput PWD road to Badmul, a picturesque location within the Baisipalli Wildlife Sanctuary, which is part of the Satkosia Tiger Reserve.
Concerns were raised that the bridge and its access road were located just a few hundred meters from the core area of the tiger reserve, and it was alleged that the government moved forward with the tender without the necessary approvals from the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) and the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA).
Environmentalists and wildlife experts voiced their objections, warning that the project could result in irreversible harm to the delicate ecosystem of Satkosia.