Shimla, April 19 -- In a relief to 19 villages, the Himachal Pradesh high court (HC) has set aside a 2022 notification declaring an Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around Col Sherjung National Park in Sirmaur, holding that the process adopted by authorities was legally flawed and violated mandatory procedural safeguards.

"We are of the considered opinion that in view of nature of the impact of declaration of Eco-Sensitive Zone on the residents of the area, the procedure provided in the guidelines for declaring EcoSensitive Zone is mandatory in nature so as to avoid any inconvenience and hardship to interests of the area residents. In present case, respondents have miserably failed to follow the prescribed procedure," ruled the HC bench.

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