Ladakh Lt Governor Rejects Protected Area Report Over Legal, Security Concerns

The decision affects three protected areas, where local communities have sought recognition of longstanding settlements, traditional rights and clarity over boundaries.

Ladakh Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has rejected a report on the proposed boundaries of three protected areas, citing concerns over the legal process, ground mapping and national security. He has directed officials to settle the rights and claims of local communities in these areas within two months.

The three protected areas are Hemis National Park, the High Altitude Cold Desert (Changthang) Wildlife Sanctuary, and the Karakoram (Nubra-Shyok) Wildlife Sanctuary.

The State Board for Wildlife (SBWL), which met under Saxena's chairmanship on Friday, directed the designated Deputy Commissioners and Settlement Officers to resume public hearings and complete the proceedings within two months.

The Board was considering a sub-committee report on the settlement and finalisation of the boundaries when it flagged several discrepancies in the exercise.

'Table-Top Exercise'

According to the LG's office, the statutory process under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, for settling the rights of individuals and communities in proposed protected areas, had not been undertaken by the sub-committee.

Saxena said the boundary delineation had instead been carried out through a "table-top exercise", without following the legal framework prescribed under the Act. The administration said the exercise was inconsistent with the law, inequitable to affected communities and could face legal challenges.

The Board also observed that the preliminary notification issued by the erstwhile Jammu and Kashmir government in 1987 had not correctly mapped the protected-area boundaries on the ground.

Claims Invited

Local communities have maintained that settlements and human habitations have existed in these areas for a long time and should fall outside the protected-area boundaries. The administration said these areas had been included in the earlier sub-committee's exercise.

Saxena has urged residents to come forward with their claims and land titles, including evidence of traditional rights and claims relating to pasture lands.

Security Concerns

The boundary issue also has a national-security dimension. The Board said several areas included in the sub-committee report are of strategic importance and relate to national security. It observed that mandatory defence considerations had not been duly factored into the report.

Saxena also pointed out that the international boundaries shown in Survey of India maps had not been used as a reference while determining the limits of the protected areas. The Board said this was essential for determining the boundaries of any protected area.

This issue aside, the SBWL also ratified 23 projects at Friday's meeting and forwarded them to the Standing Committee of the National Board of Wildlife for clearance. The projects include power transmission infrastructure in strategically important border areas, defence infrastructure and other essential projects in the Karakoram and Changthang regions.