Controversy over conduit course

CHANDIGARH, June 22: The decision of the Punjab Irrigation Department to alter the course of a conduit being constructed to drain out excess...

CHANDIGARH, June 22: The decision of the Punjab Irrigation Department to alter the course of a conduit being constructed to drain out excess water from the heavily waterlogged areas around Malaut town in Abohar District has raked up a controversy.

The change of course not only increases its length by a few thousand meters, but its altered course lies though a wildlife reserve sanctuary. Constructing such a conduit violates a Supreme Court order and also the provisions of the Wildlife Act.

The area through which the changed course lies comes under two villages, Rajanwali and Dutaranwali, having a combined area of about 8317 acres. These villages are among the 13 villages which fall in the area notified by the Punjab Government as a wildlife sanctuary for protection, propagating and developing wildlife. The sanctuary houses Black Bulls, which is a state animal.

The Punjab Government had in April this year issued a notification directing the land acquisition officer to take possession of the sanctuary land. The reasons for change of course of the drain, which is supposed to flow from east to west, have not been mentioned.

The locals had earlier written to the divisional forest officer, who in his reply stated that as per the provisions of the Act, no sanctuary or national park land could be used for any other purpose. A 1997 Supreme Court directive in this regard states that before placing any proposal regarding use of sanctuary land is placed in the legislative assembly, it should first be referred to the Indian Board of Wildlife for its opinion. The proposal will be placed for consideration in the assembly along with the opinion of the Board.

The matter was then taken up this month by an environmental organisation, All India Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha and it moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court on the grounds that the land is being acquired without due authority of law and against the provisions of the Wildlife Act. In its petition, it has said that digging of the drain threatens to seriously affect the sanctuary and that the acquisition of the land was not of an urgent nature.