Raising objections against Punjab Government’s eco-sensitive zone (ESZ) proposal around Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary, the UT Administration has requested the MoEF to not accept the 100 metre ESZ radius proposed by Punjab. The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) had recently asked the UT Administration to submit objections against Punjab’s ESZ proposal. A senior official of the UT Administration said, “We have submitted our objections to the MoEF against Punjab’s ESZ proposal for Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary.” The UT Administration has written to the Ministry that the 100 metre radius of ESZ proposed by Punjab is an effective measure and the radius of the ESZ should be around 1 km, said he. Punjab Government had proposed that the Lal dora and municipal land will be excluded from the proposed 100 meters radius of ESZ area. However, “we have suggested that this area has to come under the ESZ to regulate the construction activities around the Sanctuary,” said the senior official. Recently, convening a joint meeting of UT Administration, Punjab Government and Haryana Government, the MoEF had asked the Punjab Government to make amendments in the clauses pertaining to Municipal land and Lal Dora in their proposed ESZ area. Notably, the UT Administration and Punjab Government had submitted their ESZ proposals to the Ministry during last year. In its ESZ draft, the UT Administration has proposed an area ranging from 2 km to 2.75 km as ESZ around the Sanctuary while Punjab Government has reduced the radius of the ESZ to 100 metre in its proposal. In UT’s ESZ draft, low-density and low-rise buildings are proposed in the area falling in the ESZ. “No mining or hazardous industry should be permitted in the ESZ. No expansion of the road outside the Sanctuary should be permitted, No deep bore well should be dug for commercial/large scale users. And, all existing water bodes and indigenous floral and faunal diversity within the zone should be protected,” proposed UT Administration in its ESZ draft. The UT Administration had also shot off a letter to MoEF urging it to not accept the ESZ proposal of Punjab Government without its consent.The Sukhna Wildlife Sanctuary spreads over an area of 26 sq km. According to the UT officials, the catchment area around the Sanctuary is around 36 running kilometers. Around 10 percent of the perimeter of Sanctuary abuts the city and the major part is along neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana.