Environmentalist seeks fresh DPR, clearances for Kukrail night safari

Singh, applicant before the NGT and intervenor in the Supreme Court case Ashok Kumar Sharma vs Union of India, submitted a representation to the CEC chairperson at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, New Delhi, on September 11, raising four challenges — that the project is impermissible in a notified reserve forest; that the environmental clearance (EC) granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) on January 16, 2026, was obtained on false and misleading declarations; that denial of a hearing violated fundamental rights; and that fresh statutory clearances and safeguards are needed before any work.

Lucknow-based environmentalist Alok Singh has challenged the night safari in Kukrail reserve forest before the Central Empowered Committee (CEC) in New Delhi, arguing that the rejection of three components of the original composite project has left a materially different standalone project requiring fresh clearances and safeguards.

The environmentalist argued that the original composite project collapsed after the CEC rejected three of its four components. (For representation)

Singh, applicant before the NGT and intervenor in the Supreme Court case Ashok Kumar Sharma vs Union of India, submitted a representation to the CEC chairperson at Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, New Delhi, on September 11, raising four challenges — that the project is impermissible in a notified reserve forest; that the environmental clearance (EC) granted by the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) on January 16, 2026, was obtained on false and misleading declarations; that denial of a hearing violated fundamental rights; and that fresh statutory clearances and safeguards are needed before any work.

He said Citizens for Lucknow and local groups were invited twice for consultations by the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), but the meetings were cancelled at the last minute.

In his detailed letter, Singh argued that the original composite project collapsed after the CEC rejected three of its four components — shifting of the Nawab Wajid Ali Shah Zoological Garden, a four-lane road corridor and an adventure zone.

The state accepted the rejections, which now stand incorporated in a Supreme Court order dated July 15, 2026, he said. What remains is a standalone night safari, a materially different project that was never assessed as such.

The DPR approved by the CZA was for a composite project with a shared veterinary block, administrative block, residences and kitchen.

With the zoo not being shifted, the DPR, financial sanction of ₹1,510.57 crore, including ₹64.06 crore for the rejected road, and land allocation of 855.07 acres have become obsolete, he argued. The project was originally envisaged over 390.75 acres — 181.85 acres for the night safari and 208.9 acres for the zoo. He demanded a fresh DPR and recalculation of the area from first principles.

The CZA is a body under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, responsible for zoo standards and has no jurisdiction to grant forest or environmental clearance, Singh said.

Moreover, the CZA’s own 2025 Night Safari Guidelines prohibit approval for night safaris diverting forest land. Since Kukrail has been a notified reserve forest since 1950, he argued that it cannot be approved under the CZA’s own norms.

He also flagged discrepancies in Form-1 and Form-1A submitted for the EC.

Seeking a personal hearing, Singh prayed for directions not to take any steps, including issuing tenders, construction and felling, until fresh clearances and safeguards are obtained. He also sought that existing approvals be treated as invalid, the entire Kukrail forest be scientifically measured and trees geo-tagged.