Ladakh board bins report on protected area boundaries; LG says settle claims in 2 months

The direction was issued during the 16th meeting of the newly constituted State Board for Wildlife, UT Ladakh, chaired by the LG on Friday

In a development that will have far-reaching implications and offer relief to the local communities, lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena, has directed the completion of the settlement of rights and claims of local communities in three protected areas of Ladakh – Hemis National Park, High Altitude Cold Desert (Changthang) Wildlife Sanctuary and Karakoram (Nubra–Shyok) Wildlife Sanctuary – within two months.

One of the key agendas of the board meeting was the consideration of the sub-committee report on finalisation of the boundaries of these three protected wildlife areas. (HT File)

This will pave the way for a lawful and participatory process for finalising their boundaries, particularly in the newly created districts.

The direction was issued during the 16th meeting of the newly constituted State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), UT Ladakh, chaired by the LG on Friday.

One of the key agendas of the board meeting was the consideration of the sub-committee report on finalisation of the boundaries of these three protected wildlife areas. The decision is expected to bring long-awaited clarity and certainty to local communities, who have been seeking clarity regarding the boundaries of the protected areas and recognition of their longstanding settlements, habitations and traditional rights.

It has been the demand of the local people that settlements and human habitations exist for a very long time in these areas, which clearly falls outside the purview of the wildlife sanctuary. However, the earlier formed sub-committee included all these areas.

However, the board, while deliberating threadbare on the final notification of the three protected areas, noted that the notification issued by the erstwhile government of Jammu and Kashmir, had not correctly mapped the boundaries of the protected areas on the ground.

Saxena, during the board meeting, observed that the statutory process prescribed under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, for settlement of rights of individuals and communities residing in the proposed protected areas, has not been undertaken by the committee.

He noted that this process was not initiated and that the delineation of boundaries was carried out through a table-top exercise, without adherence to the legal framework. This rendered the exercise inconsistent with the provisions of the Act, inequitable to affected communities, and susceptible to legal challenges.

The board observed that several of the areas, included in the sub-committee report, are of strategic importance and relate to national security, and the mandatory defence considerations were not duly factored in the report of the subcommittee.

Saxena also observed that the international boundaries, as depicted in the Survey of India maps, have not been taken as a reference point, which is essential while determining the limits of any protected area. Accordingly, taking a serious note of the discrepancies, the LG directed to set aside the report of the sub-committee.

The board also directed the designated DCs /settlement officers to resume the process of public hearings and to complete the proceedings within a period of two months.

Saxena urged the people to come forth with their claims and titles of land and traditional rights, including those on pasture lands, to enable the administration to arrive at a fair decision on the boundaries of these protected areas.

The board, in its meeting, also ratified 23 important projects and sent them to the standing committee of the National Board of Wildlife, government of India, for clearance. These included proposals relating to power transmission infrastructure in strategically important border areas, defence infrastructure and other essential projects in the Karakoram and Changthang regions.