SC Agrees To Hear Plea Against Proposed Constructions In Satkosia Tiger Reserve

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court on Wednesday agreed to examine a petition raising serious concerns about alleged construction activities inside the Satkosia Tiger Reserve in Odisha.

The reserve, known for its rich biodiversity, is home to tigers, elephants, and several endangered species.

Petitioner Flags Illegal Construction Within Protected Forest

The plea was mentioned before a bench headed by Chief Justice B R Gavai, with Justices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi. Advocate Gaurav Kumar Bansal, who brought the issue before the court, urged for early intervention.

Highlighting the urgency of the situation, Bansal told the court that permissions had been granted for tourism infrastructure inside the protected forest area.

“The district collector has issued such permissions for construction of an eco-tourism spot. How can this be permitted?” he questioned.

“I am just fighting for forests,” he added, emphasizing the potential damage to the reserve’s fragile ecosystem.

The bench agreed to hear the matter next week.

Challenge To District-Level Clearances

The petition contests provisional no-objection certificates (NOCs) issued by the district collectors of Angul, Nayagarh, Boudh, and Cuttack, regions overlapping with or near the Satkosia Tiger Reserve. The petitioner argues that these clearances were issued without legal authority and violate the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

According to the plea, the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) had directed all states in April 2018 to ensure that eco-sensitive zones (ESZs) around tiger reserves include at least a 1-kilometre buffer, especially where formal buffer zones are absent or disconnected.

Objections To Odisha’s ESZ Proposal

The plea also takes issue with a draft proposal recently submitted by the Odisha government to the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change for declaring ESZ boundaries around Satkosia. It claims the draft allows for zero-kilometre buffers in some areas—directly violating NTCA’s 2018 guidelines.

“The zero-kilometre ESZ boundary proposed in parts of Satkosia Tiger Reserve violates NTCA’s 2018 directive,” the plea noted.

Allegations Of Legal Violations & Misuse of Authority

The petition further alleges that the state government and its agencies have been systematically bypassing national environmental safeguards through executive overreach. It claims that permissions for tourism development were granted without the involvement of competent forest authorities, thus usurping powers reserved under the Wildlife Act.

The proposed infrastructure, the petitioner argues, goes against the precautionary principle and undermines the protective scope of central environmental laws, including the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, and the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986.

It calls on the Supreme Court to intervene and direct the withdrawal of the draft ESZ notification, warning that its approval would seriously jeopardize conservation efforts in Satkosia.