Probe into Sultanpur Park neglect

It is payback time for the guardians of Gurgaon’s centre-protected Sultanpur National Park and Bird Sanctuary , whose alleged negligence led to the drying of Sultanpur lake, spelling death for lakhs of animals, including its population of African black fish.

It is payback time for the guardians of Gurgaon’s centre-protected Sultanpur National Park and Bird Sanctuary , whose alleged negligence led to the drying of Sultanpur lake, spelling death for lakhs of animals, including its population of African black fish.

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The Central Ministry of Environment and Forests has decided to set up a inquiry to probe the lake’s drying and death of black fish, according to an official.

The ministry will constitute a probe committee, which will conduct an on-site inspection at the sanctuary within a week.

“Whatever has happened at Sultanpur is very sad, shocking. Our probe will determine what went wrong there and why,” said the official.

The constitution of the probe committee, he said, is awaiting a formal sanction from Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh.

The ministry, the official said, has taken cognizance of HT’s reports on the issue, published on June 16 and June 17.

The most shocking aspect of the negligence was the Park administration’s wilful neglect of the black fish.

Haryana's Principal Chief Conservator of Forest Dr. Parvez Ahmed, under whose jurisdiction the Park lies, had told HT, “The lake’s dryness gives us a good opportunity to do away with the African Black fish that we don’t want definitely.” The park is closed for maintenance till July 31.