TN forest dept withdraws controversial proposal to reduce area of Vedanthangal Sanctuary

In a bid to protect the depleting water bodies and to conserve the biodiversity in and around Vedanthangal bird sanctuary located in the flood-prone Chengalpattu district, the State Forest Department has withdrawn the proposal for reducing the area of Vedanthangal birds sanctuary which is India's oldest bird sanctuary.

According to informed official sources, the previous AIADMK government in 2020 mooted a proposal to promote commercial activities near the Vedanthangal bird sanctuary by reducing its boundary from 5 kilometres to 3 kilometres radius.

This proposal was sent to the government from the office of chief wildlife warden and then supported by the state. However, now, the chief wildlife warden Shekhar Kumar Niraj had objected to the proposal and had written to the forest department secretary, Supriya Sahu, to consider the previous appeal from this office as permanently withdrawn.

A copy of the letter issued by the principal chief conservator of forests and chief wildlife warden noted that Vedanthangal is a protected bird sanctuary annually attracting close to 28,000 migratory birds and any developmental activity near the sanctuary declared in 1936 will affect the birds.

“Hence, it is felt that if the existing boundary of Vedanthangal Birds Sanctuary is reduced, biodiversity and integrity of the sanctuary as signified by waterbird habitat will be adversely affected, which may also result in a reduction of water birds and the water regime itself, in the long one. Hence, such a proposal may be of bad consequences. I, therefore, wish to inform that keeping ecological security and habitat ecology in view, the proposal submitted in this office be considered as withdrawn forever,” the official letter said.

“The year-long campaign and struggle by the ecologist and bird watchers will now come to an end and this course correction by the state forest department is a landmark move for the historical Vedanthangal,” said bird watcher K V R K Thirunaranan, founder, The Nature Trust. Vedanthangal documentation dates back to eighteen century and it is home to birds for decades and now with this assurance, the birds can continue their nesting without any disturbances.

“All over the world, green spots are being created by the administrators to enhance biodiversity and this move will help the state to conserve what we have,” said wildlife enthusiast N Balaji, who frequents Vedanthangal.