NGT notice to Odisha govt, Centre over delay in Similipal eco-sensitive zone notification

CUTTACK: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued notices to the Odisha government and central environmental authorities over alleged inaction in notifying the eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) of the Similipal Tiger Reserve and regulating activities in the surrounding areas.The NGT’s East Zone Bench in Kolkata was hearing a petition filed by Santanu Kumar Bhukta, who represents a Talcher-based NGO. The plea alleged large-scale unregulated construction, tree felling, drilling of bore wells and dumping of plastic waste within the proposed eco-sensitive zone around the reserve.Taking note of the submissions, the Bench comprising judicial member Arun Kumar Tyagi and expert member Ishwar Singh observed: “Prima facie the averments made in the application raise substantial questions relating to environment arising out of the implementation of the enactments specified in Schedule-I to the National Green Tribunal Act, 2010.”

Accordingly, the Tribunal issued notices to the chief secretary of Odisha, the additional chief secretary of the forest, environment and climate change department, the field director of Similipal Tiger Reserve, Mayurbhanj district collector, divisional forest officer of Baripada, deputy director general of forests at MoEFCC’s regional office in Bhubaneswar and the member secretary of the National Board for Wildlife.

The respondents have been asked to file their replies within one month. Petitioner counsel Sankar Prasad Pani said the order issued by the Tribunal on February 24 was uploaded on Friday (March 13). The matter has been posted for further hearing on April 30, 2026.According to the petition, although a draft notification proposing the eco-sensitive zone for the Similipal–Hadgarh landscape was issued on January 29, 2019, the final notification has not been issued even after more than six years.The absence of a Zonal Master Plan for the ESZ, which, according to the petitioner, has led to unchecked construction activities in the vicinity of the reserve in violation of guidelines issued by the Union ministry of environment, forest and climate change (MoEFCC).The petitioner further stated that a representation highlighting these concerns was submitted on November 2, 2025 to several authorities. However, he claimed that no effective action has been taken so far to regulate construction or stop tree felling in the eco-sensitive zone areas.Similipal Tiger Reserve, part of UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves since 2009, spreads across around 2,750 sq km, while the Similipal Wildlife Sanctuary covers about 2,305 sq km. Declared a sanctuary in 1979 and brought under Project Tiger in 1973, the reserve is known for its rich biodiversity.It supports more than 1,250 species of flowering plants, 55 species of mammals and 362 species of birds. The landscape also hosts Odisha’s largest populations of elephants and tigers, including rare melanistic tigers, and forms a crucial watershed for northern parts of the state.