Centre for animals displaced by Noida airport is now ‘permanent’

NOIDA: A rescue centre for animals and birds displaced by the Noida airport's construction will now be established as a permanent facility near Dhanauri wetland.
Originally intended as a temporary centre, its lease period was extended from five to 30 years at a June 28 meeting led by the then chief secretary DK Mishra to meet the Central Zoo Authority's norms that make a minimum lease period of 10 years for such facilities.
DFO Pramod Srivastava said the UP chief secretary has agreed to extend the lease period and directed the Yamuna Expressway Industrial Development Authority (YEIDA) to formalise a 30-year lease deed. The lease can be renewed thereafter, if necessary.
According to forest department officials, a shorter lease could jeopardise the project's approval and lead to a wastage of govt resources, as the need for such a centre is expected to persist due to ongoing human-animal conflicts in the region.
The construction, however, awaits approval from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA). While the CZA's drawing committee has given a go-ahead, its technical committee is yet to review the proposal, the DFO said.
Once approved, the project will be forwarded to the ministry of environment and forest for final clearance, and subsequently, the state govt will decide on the agency that will construct the project.
"While multiple govt agencies are eligible, the forest department has recommended YEIDA as the executing agency. After the facility is built, the forest department will manage its operations.Given the current budget, the centre will primarily cater to smaller animals like antelopes, nilgai, blackbucks and birds. It could also serve as a temporary facility for big cats and provide medical care for them," the DFO told TOI.
Nilgai, blackbucks, Indian gazelle, monkeys, golden jackals, jungle cats and sarus cranes are present in and around the site. As per a WII report, blackbucks and sarus cranes are the two key species found on the land acquired for the international airport.
A survey of the 1,334 hectares, where the first phase of the airport is coming up, and an adjacent 10km to 25km radius of the area found 258 blackbucks and 76 sarus cranes.
YEIDA CEO Arun Vir Singh said the rescue centre is proposed to be built over 10 hectares — five hectares each to be contributed by YEIDA and the forest department — and is estimated to cost around Rs 5 crore, which will be borne by Noida International Airport Ltd (NIAL), a govt agency overseeing the airport project. Of this, an estimated Rs 74 lakh is to be allocated for an animal hospital and Rs 21 lakh for a quarantine centre. The facility is proposed to have separate enclosures for species like monkeys, blue cows and blackbucks. Annual maintenance is expected to cost Rs10 lakh.