Srinagar

The National Green Tribunal has issued a notice to the Jammu and Kashmir government over the construction of a CRPF battalion camping site near a wildlife reserve here, seeking a reply from the state government at least a week before the next hearing.

A bench of Justice Prakash Shrivastava (chairperson) and A Senthil Vel (expert member) was hearing the plea challenging the construction of the proposed battalion camping site for the 61st, 79th, 117th and 132nd battalions of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Thursday.

The applicant alleged violation of the environmental norms in the process of setting up of the camping site in 1,324 kanals (67 hectares) of land at the Brain area near Nishat locality.

The tribunal on Thursday said that according to the applicant, the identified site is around the protected area and wildlife corridors and it affects the Brain Nishat Conservation Reserve. The area is also a buffer/green belt in the Srinagar Master Plan of 2035, the applicant said.

The site in question is home to the "critically endangered" Kashmiri Stag, and the "vulnerable" Asiatic Black Bear, the applicant said.

The application further stated that neither seismological assessment nor the carbon footprint evaluation has been undertaken before permitting the construction at the site.

"Applicant also alleges that in the setting up of the CRPF camp, large scale felling of the trees is likely to take place," it added.

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The next date of hearing is on November 24.