MoEFCC Panel Clears 10 Acres of SGNP Eco-Sensitive Zone for IICT Campus
The Expert Advisory Committee (EAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has cleared a proposal to use over 10 acres of the eco-sensitive zone on the periphery of Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP) to construct a second campus for the Indian Institute of Creative Technologies (IICT).
The proposed site is located 900 metres away from the periphery of SGNP, a zone through which several animals and birds migrate. IICT, an initiative under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting envisioned as a national hub for animation, visual effects, gaming, and comics, currently operates its primary campus out of the NFDC building at Pedder Road.
According to minutes of the EAC meeting, the project proposal was first considered by the standing committee of the National Board for Wildlife in its 89th meeting on February 28, 2026. The matter was deferred at the time as the zonal master plan (ZMP) for the eco-sensitive zone was pending approval. Following directions from the EAC to prepare and sanction the plan for the Central government project, the chief wildlife warden assured the panel that the IICT campus is in consonance with the approved ZMP.
The committee has stipulated multiple mandatory safeguards to mitigate environmental impact. IICT must deposit 2% of the project cost attributable to the eco-sensitive zone with the SGNP conservator towards wildlife protection and conservation. To reduce human-wildlife conflict, the institute must erect a 3-metre-high compound wall topped with a 1-metre chain-link or barbed-wire fence and safety reinforcements along its boundary. The panel has also prohibited high-intensity lights or light beams directed toward SGNP that could disturb or alter wildlife behaviour.
The clearance has drawn criticism from environmentalists. D Stalin of the NGO Vanshakti stated that the eco-sensitive zone monitoring committee was failing to protect forests and questioned the decision to clear land and chop trees for an institutional campus in the protected buffer.
The decision comes amid other infrastructure proposals seeking park land. In January, the State Board for Wildlife cleared a road project between Magathane and Kandivali requiring 2.59 hectares in SGNP and 0.59 hectares from its eco-sensitive zone. Additionally, the Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation recently submitted a proposal to divert over 10 hectares of SGNP forest land to widen the Gaimukh Fountain Hotel Road and accommodate the Metro 10 line.
