Bhubaneswar: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has taken serious note of allegations of unauthorized construction and encroachment on forest land by Wonderla Amusement Park in Khurda district, on the outskirts of Odisha’s capital.
The Eastern Zone Bench in Kolkata issued notices to multiple state and central authorities while hearing a petition filed by environmental activist Dillip Kumar Samantaray.
According to the petition, Wonderla Holidays Limited, operating the park at Kumbharbasta village, allegedly encroached upon approximately 1.86 acres of forest land adjacent to the leased plot without obtaining prior approval from the Central Government’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The applicant relied on reports from revenue and forest officials to argue that such use of forest land for non-forest purposes violates the Forest (Conservation) Act and requires mandatory clearance.
The park is reportedly developed on around 50 acres of land leased from the Odisha Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Idco). However, the petitioner claims that boundary walls and a water treatment plant have been illegally constructed on the encroached forest portion.
Additional concerns include the absence of Environmental Clearance (EC) for the project and unauthorised extraction of groundwater without necessary No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the competent authority.
Joint Fact-Finding Committee Ordered
The Tribunal has directed the formation of a joint committee to conduct a field survey and submit a detailed fact-finding report. The committee includes:
A representative from the Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (PCCF), Odisha.
The Khurda Collector.
A representative from the State Pollution Control Board (PCB).
The committee has been given four weeks to complete the survey and report back. Respondents have been asked to file replies within specified timelines, preferably searchable PDF/OCR-supported documents via e-filing.
Notices have been served on Chief Secretary of Odisha, Secretaries of Forest and Revenue Departments, PCCF, Khurda Collector, Divisional Forest Officer (DFO), local Tehsildar, State PCB, IDCO, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), Ground Water Board Director, and the Secretary to the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
The next hearing is scheduled for August 11
