By IANS,
Greater Noida: Acting on the directions of the environment ministry, a joint team of Wildlife Trust of India (WTI) and World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Tuesday inspected the Dadri wetlands here and raised objections on the construction being carried out in the ecologically sensitive area.
A five-member team surveyed the wetlands, said to be one of the largest and richest in bird habitat in and around the national capital.
“We had received several complaints that the wetlands were being sold off to private builders by the state government. We have noticed the presence of a large number of migratory birds in this area earlier. But of late, the construction activity has wreaked havoc on this natural habitat,” said a member of the team, requesting anonymity.
The team will submit a report to the ministry soon.
The team videographed the live habitat of birds in Bil Akbarpur area and collected evidences and pictures.
Another team member said they would even approach court to stop the construction activity in wetlands, which is illegal, as per orders of the Supreme Court.
Last month, taking note of the illegal sale of wetlands, the ministry of environment and forests had asked the state government to conserve the entire habitat supporting more than 200 species of endangered birds, located some 40 km southeast of Delhi.
Activists said that while the area of wetlands was much larger earlier, it has been reduced due to consistent illegal sale of land to builders and individuals.
“This is the best bird habitat not only in Gautam Budh Nagar district but also one of the best around the national capital. The greed of the administration and gross neglect of this natural treasure by the state government has ruined this entire beautiful habitat,” said Vikrant Kumar Togad, a local environment activist.