Union Environment and Forests Minister Prakash Javadekar on Thursday agreed to conduct a review of construction limits near a bird sanctuary in Uttar Pradesh.The construction limits near the Soor Sarovar Bird Sanctuary and Ramsar Wetland at Keitham was reduced to 250 metres from five km following an instruction from Agra divisional commissioner Pradip Bhatnagar. A delegation of environmentalists from Agra -- comprising Devashish Bhattacharya, Anand Rai, and Shravan Kumar Singh -- met Javadekar in the national capital on Thursday.
The delegation presented a memorandum listing details of the ecological exclusiveness of this particular lake, which is the largest in Uttar Pradesh and supports a dense forest, considered as a buffer between the Mathura Oil Refinery and Taj Mahal.Speaking to IANS from New Delhi, Devashish Bhattacharya said: "The minister patiently heard our objections and said he would discuss the issue with experts and only after a thorough review, the final decision will be taken on the limits of the Keitham forest and lake."