National parks, sanctuaries must have ESZ of 1 km from boundary: SC

The Supreme Court of India directed that national parks and wildlife sanctuaries must have an Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) of minimum one km from the demarcated boundary of a protected forest

The SC said that mining within the national parks and wildlife sanctuaries shall not be permitted and no permanent structure will be allowed within the ESZ

It also directed the Chief Conservator of Forests of all states and UTs to prepare a list of existing structures within the ESZs.