The Center on Thursday withdrew its order declaring Sammed Shikhar, a religious pilgrimage site of the Jain community in Parasnath, Jharkhand, as an eco-sensitive zone. The notification issued by the Union Ministry of Forest and Environment states that it will no longer be a tourist area.
The Central Government has banned the activities of tourism and eco-tourism in Parasnath, the famous pilgrimage center of Jainism. The Union Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Department issued an order in this regard on Thursday. The Center took this decision given the widespread movement of the Jain community against the declaration of Parasnath (Sammed Shikhar) as a tourist zone and the continuous demand to withdraw the order declaring Parasnath as an eco-sensitive zone. The Union Forest and Environment Ministry has written a letter to the Jharkhand government, directing it to maintain the sanctity of the Jain pilgrimage and to impose a complete ban on the sale and consumption of meat, alcohol, and liquor in the mountain region.
Ban should be imposed on tampering with mountains, forest wealth, and animals and birds
On Thursday, in a letter sent by Rohit Tiwari, Inspector General of Forests (Wildlife), Government of India, to Jharkhand's Forest and Environment Department's Additional Chief Secretary L Khiangte, instructions have been given to ensure this order. It has been said in the letter that tampering with mountains, forest wealth, and animals and birds should be banned and unnecessary capping, tracking, etc. activities on Parasnath mountain should be ensured completely. Also asked to strictly implement the restrictions issued by the state government on December 21 in this regard. Apart from this, banning the tourism and eco-tourism activities included in the notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests in 2019 regarding the declaration of the Parasnath area as an eco-sensitive zone, it has been asked not to do any work related to it.
