Click to play videoGreater Noida: In a fresh controversy surrounding the Mayawati government ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls, it has allowed the sale of wetlands near Noida to a private builder.
Hundreds of acres of wetlands visited by migratory birds from as far as Siberia and Spain were sold to Ansals for a mega housing project in Greater Noida.
Angered by the move, the Union Environment Ministry has asked the state government to probe the sale of wetlands.
Ansals, however, told CNN-IBN that they would protect the wetlands as a lake.
The 2400 acre of wetlands in Dadri in Greater Noida is home to over 5000 birds.
When CNN-IBN visited the area, it found that pillars had been erected, and sand was being dumped and the entire area.
"The area was beautiful and pristine when we discovered this five years ago as a birding destination. And it is almost six years now since we discovered this as a birding area. What is happening is the construction with lots of people moving and lots of bulldozers moving. There is lot of noise and light, so all these are not good from the point of view of migratory birds," said Anand Arya, an environmentalist.
Anand Arya has recorded over 200 species of birds, of which many are on Schedule 1 of the Wildlife Protection Act, given the highest protection by the state.
A letter from the Ministry of Environment and Forest confirms the illegality of the construction, asking the Chief Wildlife Warden of Uttar Pradesh to investigate.
"How the illegal sale of wetlands of Bil Akbarpur to a private housing project was allowed?" asked the Environment Ministry.
The Ansals, however, claim they are building a green megapolis and haven't broken any law.
"All the water bodies and lakes within the area will be maintained in the same form. EIA Clearance from the government has already been obtained and guidelines of the same are being followed," said the Ansals.
However, that is not good enough while Ansals says they will protect 10 acres as a lake. The fact is that the entire 2400 acres that has been given to them is a thriving wetland and breeding ground for endangered species.
The impact of the construction can already be seen. Birds are being poached and blackbucks running helter skelter for cover.
It's a wetland teeming with life, but with the construction of the housing project, it is unfortunate that perhaps there is no housing scheme for the birds.
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